Surprises
by xbleeple
Summary: Emily shows up back in LA with more than one surprise for her mom.
1. Chapter 1

Sharon pauses in the hallway with the laundry basked as she hears a knock on the door. She bends her wrist to look at her watch before tilting her head as she sets the basket down and heads for the door. She'd sent Andy to go to the store earlier while she kept up on the laundry. They were expecting the boys over the next evening for their first sleepover in the new house and needed to get on top of the mess that seemed to have lingered since they'd moved in.

Sharon looks through the peephole and her brow furrows before she opens the door to her daughter on the other side. Emily pushes her sunglasses up on her head and grins at her mother as she rests her hand on the handle for her suitcase.

"Surprise!"

"Emily!" Sharon exclaims before wrapping her arms around her daughter, "What are you doing here?"

"Surprising you," Emily says as she wraps her arms around her mother, hugging her tight, "I had a free weekend so I thought I'd come visit."

"It's so good to see you," Sharon murmurs before letting Emily go. She steps back to let her daughter into the house, taking her bag from her.

"This house is amazing," Emily comments as she kicks off her flats inside the doorway, setting her sunglasses and purse down on the table, "I love it."

"It took us a while to find it, but it's perfect," Sharon says as she sets Emily's bag down by the stairs, "Let me finish switching the laundry and I can show you around."

"Sure, um bathroom?" Emily asks.

"Just around the corner in the kitchen," Sharon points before picking up the laundry basket and finishing the task she had been working on. She closes the door to the laundry room before going in search of Emily, finding her daughter standing in the kitchen and looking out the sliding glass door.

"The view is beautiful," Emily compliments.

"The sunrises are amazing," Sharon comments, wrapping her arm around Emily's before walking her through the house. They grab her bag on the way upstairs and Sharon sets it down on the bed in the guest room, "Bathroom is right across the hall and our room is next door."

"It's nice," Emily smiles, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "It's a lot of space for just you and Andy though, isn't it?"

"Well it's not just us. There's all of you guys to think of. I've got you and your brothers. Andy has Nicole and the boys. I don't want to move again in a few years because we've already run out of space. This is your home too, no matter what," Sharon smiles, leaning against the footboard of the bed, "So what brings you all the way home? Not that I'm complaining but you've hardly been a weekend traveller the last few years."

"I just…" Emily takes a deep breath, "There's some stuff I need to talk to you about and I wanted to do it in person. Not just over Skype."

"Sounds serious," Sharon says, a tinge of worry working its way into her tone. Emily nods as she fidgets with her hands, "Are you okay?"

"It is serious," Emily agrees, looking up at her mother a wry smile on her lips, "But it's more like adult topic stuff, don't worry I'm not dying or anything."

"Why don't I whip us up some lunch and maybe we can talk for a bit?" Sharon suggests. Emily nods and stands up, brushing out the skirt of her sundress as she follows her mother downstairs. She grabs a folder from her purse and puts it on the breakfast bar before taking a seat. Sharon opens the fridge and cocks her hip as she peruses the contents, "We don't have too much at the moment, Andy is at the store…but I have some left over salmon and rice?"

"Sure," Emily nods, resting her arms on the counter top. Sharon starts pulling out containers of left overs before getting down some plates as well, "How is everything going with Andy?"

"Good," Sharon smiles as she puts the containers in the microwave, "Things are finally settling down after the whole heart thing and then buying the house…The boys are coming over for a sleepover tomorrow night and we're planning on having a bit of a housewarming in a couple weeks. I finally feel…"

"Happy?"

"I've always been happy," Sharon replies as she leans against the stove, "Content maybe? Serene? I'm just…glad things are settling."

"You deserve it, Mom," Emily says with a smile, "Nicole's kids are coming over tomorrow?"

"Mmhm, first sleepover in the new house, Nicole and Dean have tickets to a show so Andy promised pool time and a bonfire. They'll be excited to see you're here," Sharon says as she makes them plates, "They loved meeting you at Christmas."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah, professional ballerina. They were enamored," Sharon smiles carries their plates over to the small dining table set up in the kitchen. Emily grabs her folder and brings it over with her, setting it down next to her place setting.

"Water?"

"Yes please," Sharon nods as she sits down. Emily gets them both a glass of ice water before sitting down at the table and picking up her fork. She eats in silence for a few minutes, picking off chunks of fish and pairing them with scoops of rice. Sharon regards her daughter quietly as she eats herself, watching Emily steel herself up for their conversation. Emily stabs her fork into the last bite of food and chews it over before setting her fork down on her plate, "You going to tell me what's got you so in knots?"

"Well, I have good news, some maybe not so good news, and a question," Emily says after squaring her shoulders, looking across the table at her mother.

"Why don't we tackle them in that order then?" Sharon says softly. Emily threads her fingers in her lap and nods.

"I am going to move back to LA. I got offered a soloist slot with the LA Ballet, and Marnie from college just opened up a studio downtown. I told her I'd teach some classes for a while," Emily says with a soft smile, "My lease is up next month and my last show in New York is in two weeks, so I'm hoping to be out here by the end of the month."

"That's so great! I had no idea you were looking to move back out here," Sharon replies with a wide grin.

"I wasn't at first…the offer has been open for a while, but it finally seemed like a good time, and Marnie called me and it just kind of fell into place," Emily says with a wave of her hand.

"Still, it'll be great to have you close again and go to your shows more often," Sharon smiles, reaching over to squeeze her daughter's hand once she rests it on the table, "So what about the maybe not so good news?"

"The first year of my contract I'm just going to be working out with the line, getting to know the shows, kind of settling in…" Emily trails off.

"Because?"

"I'm pregnant." Sharon's eyes widen as she looks across the table at Emily. The girl takes a deep breath and sighs, finally resting her hands against her stomach with an apprehensive smile.

"You…you're," Sharon stutters a couple times before finally completing a sentence, "You're pregnant?"

"Mmhm," Emily nods, "A little over 12 weeks. There was a thing when we were on our tour in Europe, and when I found out I wanted to start getting things in order and make some changes. So here I am…"

"Wow," Sharon breathes, leaning back in her chair.

"Mmhm," Emily hums with another nod. The two sit in silence for a few moments before a small smile spreads over Sharon's face as she bridges her hands over her mouth and nose, tears starting to glisten in her eyes. She pulls her hands away after a moment and fans herself, trying not to cry.

"I'm going to have a grandbaby?" She asks with a thick voice. Emily nods as her smile widens. Sharon gets up from her seat and rounds the table, pulling her daughter up and wrapping her arms around her. She squeezes her tight and presses a kiss to her head as she rocks her back and forth, "Oh my god, my baby is going to have a baby."

"You're not mad?" Emily whispers as she holds her mom close. Sharon pulls back slightly, looking down at Emily as she brushes her hair away from her face.

"Of course not," Sharon shakes her head, "It's not like you're 16, Emily. You're an adult and you make your own decisions. I'm always going to be here to support you."

"I suppose that maybe leads into my question a bit…I was wondering if I could move in with you and Andy when I get out here. It wouldn't necessarily be permanent, just until…"

"Of course, of course," Sharon says, cutting Emily off and smiling at her, "I'll talk to Andy about it and I'm sure we can work something out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sharon nods excitedly, squeezing Emily close again, "Oh my goodness this is so exciting."

"I'm glad you're happy," Emily says as she sways back and forth with her mother for a few moments.

"So what's in the folder?"

"Oh, pictures!" Emily says, pulling away from Sharon before opening the folder. She pulls out a long strip of black and white pictures and hands them to her mother, "These are just from yesterday."

"Oh my goodness!" Sharon says as she takes the ultrasound pictures, looking at the blurry images, "Look at that little nose and those legs."

"Hard to believe I was ever that tiny, hmm?" Emily grins as she moves around the counter and opens one of the drawers, pulling out a pair of scissors. She trims off one of the pictures before putting it up on the fridge with a smile, "There, perfect."

* * *

[TBC]


	2. Chapter 2

I'm glad people seem to enjoy the idea behind this fic! Please continue to read and review!

* * *

Sharon climbs onto the end of the bed after coming out of the bathroom. She pulls Andy's feet into her lap and sighs as she leans her back against the footboard. Andy takes his glasses off and tosses them on the bedside table along with the newspaper he'd been reading, arching his eyebrow at Sharon. She smiles and curls her hand around his foot, pressing her thumb into his arch.

"You trying to butter me up?"

"What would make you say that?" Sharon asks as her hands continue to move.

"Last time you rubbed my feet we ended up going 10% over budget on a house."

"Liar," Sharon says, narrowing her eyes playfully.

"I am not," Andy says with a grin, poking her in the stomach with his toes. Sharon squeals and slaps him on the calf before sighing and resuming her foot rub, "Coming down off the high of being a future grandma yet?"

"Never," Sharon grins and shakes her head.

"When did Emily say she was going to be in town for good?"

"End of the month-ish. Her last show is in a couple weeks and she said she wanted to be here by the end of the month. She seems to be jumping on everything so it wouldn't surprise me if it was earlier," Sharon replies before her hands still. She sighs as she looks at Andy, "She asked me something earlier and I said I would talk to you about it."

"See I knew you were trying to butter me up," Andy teases.

"I am not," Sharon says indignantly, pouting playfully. She rests her arm across Andy's ankles and looks across the bed at him, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment before speaking again, "Em wanted to know if she could move in with us when she first got here. I know she really doesn't want to impose and it wouldn't really be that long, but I would like to see if she'd want to stay for at least a year. Her first year on her contract she's not really making a full salary since she's not performing. And she's essentially alone.

"And I know we were just finally getting to an empty house. Rusty hasn't been spending as much time at home. He's even mentioned potentially trying to find a place with Gus, but then we do this and...that's another year."

"Oh, that's big," Andy says sitting up a little bit more. Sharon nods and strokes her fingers gently over his skin.

"It is. I mean I figured the staying with us when she first got to town wasn't a big deal. That's why we got this house, so the kids could spend time here and always have a home. But we were talking more and she was walking me through a lot of the paperwork and the numbers and..." Sharon takes a deep breath, "It's not like she's hurting for money or anything. She shares an apartment with four other girls, she doesn't go out and splurge a lot. Most any time she's been traveling it's been with the company and they pay for everything. I would just feel better if they were here."

"That's understandable," Andy nods, "What are the expectations if she moves in?"

"Expectations?"

"Rent, cleaning, pitching in...Are we expecting the same thing of her that we are of Rusty?"

"I think that's fair," Sharon nods, "She's been living on her own for quite a few years. And I don't want to go back to doing everything for her. I think we can work out a rent figure that's fair and divvy up chores and everything."

"What about sex?" Sharon arches her eyebrow at Andy as her fingers stop moving, "That didn't come out right."

"No. I don't think it did," Sharon laughs.

"I mean, right now she's staying in the room right next to ours. There's a reason Rusty took the one across the hall. It's not like we're loud - it's just...the shared wall..." Sharon laughs and crawls up the bed, kissing Andy softly before laying on top of him.

"You're so cute sometimes," She murmurs before kissing him again, "I was thinking that the room downstairs would be better. It's a little bigger and would be better suited for putting a crib in."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhm," Sharon says, with a smile, "So you would be okay if I asked Emily if she wants to move in with us for a while?"

"Yeah," Andy nods, "I would be okay with that. She's welcome here regardless of how long she wants to stay, just if she's moving in I think we should set some ground rules, you know?"

"I do. I love you," Sharon murmurs before pressing her lips to Andy's in a deep kiss. Andy smiles and snakes his arms around Sharon as he kisses her back. She pulls back after a moment and smiles at him, stroking her thumb over his bottom lip. She sits up more when a soft knock sounds on the door, adjusting her nightgown, "Come in."

Emily pokes her head in and smiles before opening the door a little wider and stepping inside.

"I just wanted to let you guys know Rusty and I were back for the night."

"How was the movie?" Sharon asks.

"It was good, funny," Emily chuckles, "And Rusty let me get the big popcorn…and eat most of it."

"I put some towels in the guest room for you," Sharon smiles, "Let me know if you need anything else?"

"Definitely," Emily nods, "Night."

"Night, honey."

"Night, Emily," Andy waves as Emily shuts the door.

Sharon sighs as she sinks down next to Andy, wrapping her leg around his, "What time do you pick the boys up tomorrow?"

"Nic's gonna drop them off. We're on the way to the thing they're going to. She said between 5 and 530, and they'll need dinner," Andy relays as he runs his hand up Sharon's side. She hums and snuggles into him, closing her eyes, "You know we're still on top of the blankets right?"

Sharon groans and clutches herself closer to Andy, "I thought you were responsible for turning the bed down."

Andy laughs and pulls her all the way onto his chest before shuffling them under the blankets. Sharon slips back down to his side and Andy grabs her glasses, setting them next to his before turning the bedside lamp off. She sighs as she rubs her hand back and forth across Andy's chest, eventually stilling as she drifts off to sleep.

The next morning Sharon wakes up still curled into Andy's side, stretching out as she takes a deep breath. She hums as she smells food in the air, gently scratching her nails up Andy's chest. He grunts as he squeezes her closer.

"Someone's making food," He rumbles.

"Mmhm. Perk of adult kids," Sharon whispers back. She shuffles up the bed slightly and smiles at Andy before pressing a soft kiss to his lips, "Morning."

"Morning," Andy smiles, his hand stroking along her back, "How long do you think we have?"

"Enough," Sharon murmurs as she kisses Andy once more before slipping to lay on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. Andy smiles against her lips as his hands slide under her night gown, his fingertips brushing over her skin. She moans softly and presses soft kisses to his jaw as she slips her own hands under his t-shirt, pushing it up and off. She tosses it on the floor and rakes her nails down his chest with a grin as she bites at his neck.

Andy grunts and arches his hips up into hers as he pulls her nightgown over her head, tossing it in the direction of his shirt. Sharon lets out a soft moan when his hands cup her breasts, sitting up a little bit with her hips grinding down against his. Her hands tug at the drawstring of his pajama pants, slipping her hands inside the worn cotton and working the pants down his thighs. She grips his erection and strokes her hand over the hard member before sitting up on her knees.

Sharon bites her lip as she looks down at Andy with darkened green eyes, her chest heaving as she guides him into her, sinking down against him. He grunts softly and arches his hips into hers as his hands find her hips. They both sit against each other for a moment before Andy begins to guide Sharon's hips as they move together. She tips her head back as she rocks her hips lazily against his, panting softly. Sharon's eyes widen and she looks down at Andy as someone knocks on the door.

"Breakfast is ready if you guys are up," Emily calls through the door. Sharon glares at Andy, biting back a groan as he playfully bucks his hips up into hers. She digs her nails into his chest in retaliation as she lets out a long breath.

"We'll be down in a bit," Sharon replies with a shaky voice, her eyes closing as she feels the pooling desire in her stomach. She listens quietly for a moment before glaring at Andy after she hears Emily shuffle away. Andy grins and pulls her down, pressing his lips to hers in a hungry kiss. Sharon moans headily into Andy's mouth as she rocks down hard on him, squeezing him tight as she lets go.

Andy grunts as he hugs her close, his own release surging through him. He grins up at her as he pants softly, letting her slip down to his side. Sharon thumps him on the chest after a moment, playfully glaring at him.

"You are such an..."

"A what?" Andy asks with a chuckle before kissing her. Sharon melts into him with a happy hum.

"I love you," Sharon mumbles against his mouth.

"I love you too," Andy smiles. Sharon slips out of bed with a sigh, padding to the bathroom before coming out a moment later dressed in a pair of leggings. She picks Andy's shirt up off the ground and tugs it on, winking at him as she slips out of their bedroom. She makes her way downstairs and smiles at Emily and Rusty as she walks into the kitchen.

"Morning."

"Morning," Both of them echo. Sharon presses a kiss to Emily's head and squeezes Rusty's shoulder before grabbing a plate for herself.

"You two did a great job with breakfast. Thank you," Sharon says as she puts a pancake on her plate before adding a couple pieces of bacon and some fruit. She makes herself a mug of coffee, joining the kids at the table.

"Rusty did most of the work," Emily smiles, taking a sip of her juice, "Andy coming?"

"He'll be down in a moment," Sharon comments, a small blush coloring her cheeks as she breaks off a piece of bacon before popping it in her mouth, "Rusty, what are your plans for today?"

"Um, I think Gus and I are going to meet some friends for dinner and a movie later," Rusty answers, "I think I'll probably just stay at his place tonight. What time is Nicole picking up the boys tomorrow?"

"I think by lunch," Sharon says arching her eyebrow.

"Why don't I pick up some donuts from that bakery on the way home in the morning then?" Rusty suggests.

"I think that would be nice," Sharon smiles, "They would like that. Why don't you bring Gus with you? We can have a family lunch before Emily leaves."

"I'll see," Rusty nods, looking over as Andy lumbers into the kitchen, waving a good morning at the group. He makes a plate before sinking down next to Sharon, squeezing her leg with a smile.

* * *

[TBC]


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon sighs as she looks out the window of the bedroom, watching the sun rise over the city. She leans into Andy's touch as she feels his arm rest on her hip before slipping around her waist to pull her closer. He presses his lips to her temple before giving her a small squeeze.

"Alright?"

"Yeah…it's just Emily's last show is tonight. I wish I could have made it to see her," Sharon tells him as she drops her head back to his shoulder, "I've made it out to New York once since I started working in Major Crimes to see a show and spend a weekend with her."

"So let's go."

"We have to work," Sharon grumbles. Andy reaches around and holds up two plane tickets in front of her, tapping her in the nose. She waves him off before snapping the tickets out of his hand, "Andy!"

"What? You said you wanted to go."

"We…what about work?" Sharon asks as she turns around.

"I got us the day off. Unfortunately it's not an overnight trip. We leave a little after the show, but I figured it wasn't a huge deal since Emily was going to be here soon," Andy explains, "So why don't you hurry up and get dressed so we can get going, we need to leave for the airport soon."

"Oh, Andy Flynn…" Sharon whispers as she leans up on her toes to wrap her arms around Andy's neck. She presses her lips to his cheek as she squeezes him close, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Get on a plane with me and go watch Emily perform?" Andy grins.

"Definitely," Sharon nods before letting him go. She kisses him once more before moving quickly across the room to the bathroom to get ready. She takes a shower before dressing in a simple cap sleeved black dress with a low cut back. She grabs a few pieces of jewelry and tucks them into her makeup bag, tossing it into her purse. She stuffs her book inside and grabs an emerald green cardigan out of the closet along with a pair of matching flats. Andy shrugs on his suit jacket, tucking his wallet and phone into his pocket before holding his hand out to her.

"Ready?"

"I am," Sharon smiles taking his hand in hers before following him out to the car. Within a couple hours they are through security and boarded onto their plane. Sharon's eyes widen as they board the plane and Andy directs her into one of the first class seats.

"It's a quick trip, might as well enjoy it," Andy says, winking at her. Sharon sighs with a small smile before sinking down into her seat next to the window and slipping her bag under the seat in front of her. Andy takes the seat next to her before taking her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon replies, leaning over to kiss him softly, "You crazy, crazy man."

"I'm your crazy, crazy man," Andy replies. During the flight Andy reads through the paper he'd purchased in their terminal before dozing off, his head draped back against the seat. Sharon's head was propped up against his shoulder as she read through the book she had brought with.

As the pilot announces their descent into JFK she marks her spot before putting the book back in her bag and tucking it away. She nudges Andy gently, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw as she murmurs in his ear.

"Darling, we're landing here soon." Andy yawns and stretches out, rubbing his eye as he blinks blearily.

"We already there."

"We are," Sharon smiles, brushing his hair back from his face and kissing him softly, "Good nap?"

"Mmhm, these seats aren't half bad," Andy comments as he sits up a bit more, looking over past Sharon and out the window as they begin their descent into the city, "I made us dinner reservations."

"You did? Where at?"

"Little hole in the wall Italian place," Andy says taking his eyes away from the window and smiling at Sharon, "You'll love it."

"I'm sure I will," Sharon smiles back. Once they land and taxi to their terminal Andy stands, offering a hand out to Sharon before they disembark the plane. She wraps her arm around Andy's with ease once they're out in the open and follows him out to the pickup lane, smiling as he waves down a cab. Andy gives the driver the address of the restaurant and Sharon looks out the window of the car as they make their way through the city, "What time is the show?"

"Ah, starts at 7:30, I think. I'll look at the tickets when we get to the restaurant."

"When do we leave?"

"Our flight out is at 12, might be cutting it a little close, but we'll be fine," Andy assures. After a surprisingly quick ride through the city the cab pulls up to their restaurant. Sharon gets out of the cab and waits for Andy before following him into the small restaurant.

"This looks lovely," Sharon comments as they wait for a moment before they can approach the host stand, "Where did you hear about this?"

"I used to come here," Andy says as he gives the host his name, putting his hand on the small of Sharon's back as they are shown to a table, "When I still lived in New York. It's been around forever, my parents used to come here on date nights."

"Really?" Sharon says, quickly thanking Andy as he pulls out her chair for her before pushing her in. He takes the seat across from her and smiles with a nod.

"Oh yeah, Friday nights, they bring in a band, clear out a couple tables for a small dance floor. And the food is...I've never found an Italian restaurant that makes food like they do here," Andy raves.

"Well thank you for sharing this with me," Sharon smiles as she picks up her menu, "We should make a trip back here some time, you can show me around your New York."

"I'd like that," Andy smiles, winking at her before he picks up his menu. As they wait for their dessert at the tail end of their dinner, Sharon takes a sip of her wine and sighs softly as she smiles across the table at Andy, "How many miles are you going to run out of me after this meal?"

"Mmm, I don't want to ruin our nice evening," Sharon teases as she leans forward, resting her elbows on the table as she settles her chin in her hand. Andy laughs and settles back in his chair. Sharon winks as her eyes drift around the restaurant slowly before settling back on Andy, "Today has been...it's been amazing. I really appreciate you doing all of this just so I can see Emily tonight."

"Anything for you," Andy murmurs, leaning into the table as well, "I know how much you've missed the kids over the years."

"I have. I mean working at Major Crimes has been great, but it's definitely come with it's drawbacks...Now if only I could get Ricky to visit more often," Sharon smiles, "But I'm realizing we could definitely make some weekend trips up to see him, if we had the time off."

"We could," Andy nods in agreement, pulling back from the table as the waiter brings over their dessert and sets it down, putting down two spoons next to the plate. Andy thanks him before asking for the check as well. Sharon picks up one of the spoons, eyeing the tiramisu hungrily. Andy picks up the other one before pushing the plate closer to the middle of the table, "First bite for the lady."

"Aren't you sweet," Sharon smiles before digging her spoon into the dish, scooping herself out a healthy bite. She moans as she chews the sweet treat over, her eyes rolling back a bit, "Oh my god...that's so good."

"You shouldn't be allowed to make that sound in public," Andy says, running a finger under his collar. Sharon rolls her eyes and goes back in for another bite, a small smile on her lips. Her and Andy manage to polish off the entire dessert before they gather their things to leave the restaurant. Sharon drains the last sip of her wine before wrapping her arm around Andy's and following him out of the restaurant, "The theater's only about six blocks if you don't mind the walk..."

"I think a walk would be great," Sharon smiles, keeping her hold on Andy as they head off towards the theater.

"Are you more of a New York or LA girl?" Andy asks as they walk.

"Oh, I think I could fit in anywhere," Sharon replies, "I love the city, spent a lot of time here growing up. The art, the music, the sports. But in LA I can go out in the middle of December and feel the sunshine on my face, I can curl my toes in the sand and dip my toes in the ocean."

"They both have their merits," Andy nods in agreement, "I used to think I'd never want to live anywhere else, but now I've lived in LA longer than I ever did here."

"Crazy how that happens, hmm?" Sharon smiles, "You know we were only going to move for school, just a few years and then move back east. And what…thirty five years later that's home."

"Life happens?" Andy suggests.

"That it does," Sharon replies, squeezing his arm, "But we ended up here, not a bad place to be."

"Not at all," Andy smiles before stopping Sharon as they come upon a flower stand, "What kind of flowers does Emily like?"

Sharon's eyes widen and a soft smile spreads across her lips as she regards Andy, "Fluffy flowers, she likes fluffy flowers."

Andy smiles back and looks through the bouquets before pulling out one that was a combination of amaryllis and peonies in different shades of pink and white. He shows it to Sharon with an arched eyebrow. She nods with a wider smile, taking the bouquet after he pays for it.

"She'll love them."

"Good," Andy smiles as he takes her hand again, continuing in the direction of the theater. Once inside he gets the tickets out of his coat pocket, handing them over to be scanned. He puts them back in his pocket before ushering Sharon further inside, "Drink before seats?"

"I'm okay right now," Sharon smiles. Andy nods before putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her into the auditorium. He guides her down to their seats and they begin to shuffle through the row towards the middle. Sharon looks up as they get most of the way down, her eyes widening when she registers who was sitting next to their seats, "Ricky!"

"Hey, Mom," Ricky smiles as he stands up out of his seat, wrapping his mother in a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Sharon asks as she hugs her son back.

"I came for a couple days to help Em get packed and stuff," Ricky explains as he lets Sharon go before shaking Andy's hand and greeting him.

"You two," Sharon shakes her head with a smile before taking her seat next to Ricky. Andy sits on her other side and nestles the bouquet of flowers between their seats. She leans her head against her son's shoulder, squeezing his bicep, "I'm so glad to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Mom." Sharon lifts her head as the lights dim a few minutes later, taking Andy's hand in hers as the show begins. He watches as her face lights up throughout the show as Emily flits and twirls across the stage. As the curtain drops at the end of the show the three of them stand with the rest of the crowd to applaud the performance. The auditorium begins to clear out and Sharon guides both of the boys backstage, navigating her way to Emily's dressing room. Emily's eyes flick up as she works on removing her makeup. A grin spreads across her face and she tosses the wipe she was using on the vanity when she sees her family.

"Mom!" Emily gets up from her seat and bounds over, wrapping her mother in a hug, "What are you doing here?"

"Andy surprised me with tickets this morning so we could see your last show. Some how I think your brother had a hand in it too," Sharon says as she squeezes Emily close before pulling back and grinning at Ricky. Ricky shrugs and rubs the back of his neck as a bashful look takes over his face.

"So these are your friends that wanted to go to the ballet?" Emily says, punching her brother in the shoulder, "You could have told me."

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Ricky says as he rubs his arm with a playful glare. Emily rolls her eyes and shakes her head, looking over as Andy holds out the bouquet.

"Thank you, Andy. They're beautiful," Emily says, taking a deep breath of their scent.

"You were great, Emily," Andy compliments, leaning down to kiss Emily's cheek.

"You really were honey," Sharon agrees, "Stole the show."

"How long are you guys here for? Do you have time for a late snack?" Emily asks.

"Ah, we actually need to head to the airport here in a minute. I could only wrangle the one day off," Andy says apologetically.

"That's okay," Emily smiles, "Um, Ricky's going to help me finish packing and get everything shipped to LA. I was actually thinking about leaving early next week if that's okay?"

"Yeah, that'll be great, just send us the details for everything," Sharon nods before hugging her daughter tight and pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Oh I love you, and I am so proud of you."

"Thanks," Emily whispers as she hugs Sharon back equally as tight before letting her go and hugging Andy, "Thanks for bring her out here."

* * *

[TBC]


	4. Chapter 4

Emily sighs as she sways herself back and forth in her mother's office chair, her thumb scrolling slowly along the screen of her phone as her free hand rests along her stomach, her thumb stroking back and forth absentmindedly. She looks up from her phone when she hears voices start to filter into the Murder Room before the team themselves start to come in, most everyone carrying a box of evidence. Her feet stop moving as she watches her mom give a few directions before heading towards her office, her nose buried in her phone as she rounds the corner into the room.

Sharon shuts the door behind herself and drops her bag onto her desk before jumping when she realizes Emily was sitting in her chair. Emily laughs while Sharon puts a hand over her heart, fixing her daughter with a soft glare before her eyes widen as she looks at her watch.

"Oh my god, I forgot to come pick you up!" Sharon exclaims when she notices what time it was, "I am so sorry. We've been going all morning and the time must have gotten away from me. Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I'm a big girl who can take an Uber," Emily says, pushing herself up out of the chair, "And you don't have to apologize, I know you get busy sometimes. I stopped by here instead of going home because I don't have a key to the house."

"Here," Sharon says digging through her purse before pulling out her keys. She unclips a couple items before handing Emily the car keys as well as the house keys, "You can take my car home. We put all of the boxes you sent into your room, the laundry should be open, but the fridge is a little sparse. I'm not entirely sure what Rusty's schedule is today either, so he might be in and out. I'm hoping we can get out of here at a decent time, but I don't know if that's going to happen this case…"

"Mom," Emily says, putting her hands on Sharon's shoulders to get her to focus, "I'll be fine. I've spent 7 years living on my own, I can manage a day at the house without you."

"Right," Sharon nods, letting out a long breath and smiling at Emily. Emily smiles back and lets her mom go.

"Where's the car parked at?"

"Second floor of the garage, just a few spots away from the elevator."

"Okay. I'll see you guys later if you manage to make it home tonight. If you're not going to be home by dinner maybe text me and I can bring some food over for the team."

"That would be great, thank you."

"Alright, I'm going to get going and let you get back to work," Emily says before hugging Sharon and kissing her cheek, "Be safe."

"I will. I'll talk to you later," Sharon hums, watching as Emily grabs her bag and heads towards the elevators, waving at her team as she goes. She sinks down into her chair and drops her head to her desk with a groan only looking up when she hears the door open again, "I totally forgot she was coming home today."

"We both did," Andy says, setting a mug of tea down on her desk, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just gave her the keys to my car so she could go home. I'll call her later once we have a better idea of where we are with this case."

Later in the day Sharon sighs as she steps into the hallway to call Emily. She leans against the wall waiting for her daughter to pick up.

"Hey mom!"

"Hey honey," Sharon murmurs, her eyes closing as her head tips back, "How's your day been going?"

"Okay. I think I have most of what I want to unpack put away. I stopped by the store and picked up a little bit of groceries also," Emily recounts, "You guys going to be home soon? I was just going to get started on dinner."

"Yeah, we've got about an hour left here and then we'll be on our way."

"Everything okay?" Emily asks, concern lacing her tone.

"Not a good end to this case," Sharon sighs.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Sharon mumbles, looking down at the floor, "I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"I'll be here."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Sharon hangs up the phone and tucks it into her coat pocket, taking another moment before going back into the murder room. She offers Andy a small smile before going into her office and shutting the door behind herself and pulling the blinds. Andy knocks on the door close to an hour later and waits for her response before sticking his head in.

"You almost ready to head out?" Andy inquires, setting a small stack of files on her desk. Sharon nods as she quickly flicks through them before adding the one she was working on to the top.

"Yeah, I'll take care of the rest of this in the morning," Sharon comments, capping her pen and putting it away. Andy holds a hand out to her once she finishes cleaning up. She takes his hand and grabs her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. He stops by his desk to grab his suit coat before they head towards the elevator. Once they're alone in the metal box Andy squeezes Sharon's hand.

"You alright?"

"Nothing a quiet night at home won't fix," Sharon says reassuringly. Andy wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her closer, pressing a kiss to her head. Sharon sighs as she sits in his grasp for a few moments before pulling back as the door dings open to the parking garage. Andy drives them home, pulling up next to Sharon's car before parking and cutting the engine.

Sharon gets out of the car and makes her way up the walk, pushing her way into the house and taking a calming breath when she smells food cooking and hears Emily singing along with music playing in the kitchen. She kicks her shoes off and sets her bag down before padding into the kitchen. Emily smiles at her mom as she sets the last plate down on the table. Sharon holds her arms out and wraps Emily in a hug, holding her quietly for a moment before letting her go as she drops her forehead against hers.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"Of course," Emily nods.

"Good," Sharon sighs, pressing a kiss to Emily's head, "So what's for dinner?"

"I made burrito bowls, chicken for you and me and spicy tofu for Andy," Emily says, stepping away from Sharon to grab the last of the food to bring it to the table. Andy comes in and takes a deep breath, smiling at Emily.

"Smells great."

"Thanks." Sharon gets down a wine glass and pulls a bottle of white out of the fridge, pouring herself a small glass before bringing it over to the table and taking a seat.

"How was your first day?" Andy asks as he gets himself a glass of iced tea before sitting down at the table across from Sharon.

"Good. I was telling Mom earlier that I think I've gotten most everything unpacked," Emily replies as she takes her seat with a small smile, "Nothing too strenuous. I think I have a couple things I'll put in storage."

"I can take that stuff to your mom's unit for you this weekend," Andy offers.

"That'd be great, thanks," Emily says as she makes herself a plate, "Also do you think…would you be willing to take a look at some cars with me? I mean sometime in the next couple weeks, it doesn't have to be right away. I just don't want to have to keep borrowing Mom's car."

"Yeah, of course," Andy nods, "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Something that fits a carseat in it?" Emily arches her eyebrow with a smile and a laugh, "It's been a while since I've had to think about what I want in a car."

"Well," Andy chuckles, "We'll definitely want to make a day of it then."

"Probably," Emily grins. Their heads both snap to look at Sharon as she lets out a snort laugh. Emily laughs harder, "Oh my god I can't believe you still make that sound."

"Don't get her going," Andy grins as he laughs a bit himself.

After they finish dinner Andy helps clean up the dishes as Emily grabs a pint of ice cream out of the freezer, holding up two spoons to her mom. Sharon nods and leans up over to kiss Andy on the lips.

"I'm gonna go sit with Emily for a little bit, that okay?"

"Yeah of course," Andy smiles as he loads the dishwasher. Sharon smiles and rubs her hand up his back.

"I love you."

"Love you too," Andy winks. Sharon winks back before heading out of the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a second, I'm just going to change."

"Sure. I make no promises on the state of the ice cream," Emily says with a grin as she heads back towards her room. Sharon climbs the stairs to the bedroom and sheds her work clothes before dressing in a pair of leggings and one of Andy's undershirts. She makes her way back downstairs to Emily's room, knocking on the door before slipping in.

Emily was stretched out along the bed in her pajamas, watching TV as she digs into the pint of ice cream. Sharon slides into bed next to her and snuggles up to her side. Emily hands over one of the spoons and tilts the pint towards her mother without a word. Sharon reaches in and pulls out a large bite, humming as the cold cream melts over her tongue. She swipes a couple more bites before Emily nudges her.

"Hmm?" Sharon asks as she pulls the spoon from her mouth.

"You want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Your case? Seems to be bugging you."

"Kids," Sharon sighs, dipping her spoon back into the container, "They're always the hardest."

"I'm sorry," Emily says, dropping her head against her mother's. Sharon takes a deep breath and sighs, fishing out another bite before giving her spoon up.

"How have you been feeling?" Sharon asks after she swallows.

"Me? Fine. Pants are getting a little tight, but I suppose that's good," Emily smiles pulling her shirt back a bit as she looks down at her stomach. Sharon reaches out a hand and looks up at Emily with an arched eyebrow, "Yeah go ahead."

Sharon rubs her hand over Emily's stomach, a small grin spreading across her lips before she pulls her hand back.

"Things are finally starting to kind of pop out, I swear I just looked like I was getting fat the last few weeks," Emily says as she pulls her shirt back down. She grabs her phone and opens up her pictures, showing her mom the pictures she'd been taking weekly, "First one I was seven weeks…all the way through today."

"Same thing happened to me when I was pregnant with you. I looked like I'd gained twenty pounds before I looked like I was pregnant," Sharon smiles as she looks at the pictures, "I'll have to dig around a bit and find the albums I have."

"I'd like that," Emily nods.

* * *

[TBC]


	5. Chapter 5

Huge thanks to everyone who has been reviewing this story, especially my guest reviewers since I can't thank you personally!

* * *

Emily tucks the last couple boxes she wanted to put into storage into the back of her mom's car before shutting the car door. She looks over when Andy and Sharon come out, taking a moment to pull her hair up into a messy bun.

"I could have gotten those, Em," Andy says as he approaches the car, putting his sunglasses on.

"It's fine," Emily smiles, "They're not anything heavy, less than I do squats with."

"Alright," Andy says, holding his hands up with a small smile.

"Why don't we go to the storage unit first and then we can go look at cars?" Sharon suggests as she unlocks the car.

"Sure," Emily nods as she walks around to the passenger side and gets in the back seat. Andy gets in the front and buckles his seatbelt. Emily reaches forward and hands him a piece of paper, "I did a bit of research and I have a couple ideas of stuff I think I want to look at."

Andy scans through the list, picking out the brand and model names, before handing it back to Emily, "I have a guy I know who owns a dealership over in West Hollywood that should be able to help us out with those."

"Perfect," Emily smiles, "Thanks, Andy."

Sharon navigates them to her storage unit, pulling the car up outside before turning the engine off. She gets out with Emily and Andy, punching the code in before opening the door. The unit had been thinned out when Andy and Sharon had moved into the house, but still had a decent amount of contents. She leaves Emily and Andy to deal with Emily's things as she wades through the containers, searching the contents labeled on the sides. She grabs a couple small boxes and brings them to the car, putting them in the trunk before grabbing Andy's arm.

"Can you grab something for me?"

"Yeah of course," Andy nods, following her back in the unit. Sharon points out the couple boxes that had been underneath the ones she'd grabbed herself. Andy jiggles them a bit, testing their weight before deciding to grab them one by one, carrying them to the car and putting them in the trunk.

"What did you get?" Emily asks as she finishes stacking her stuff up and making sure it was clearly labeled.

"Some mementos, pictures, things like that," Sharon smiles, "We can take a look at them when we get home."

"Sounds like fun," Emily says, dusting her hands off on her pants before Sharon locks up the unit again. They pile back into the car and Andy gives Sharon directions to where the car lot he had been talking about earlier was. Emily's stomach growls as they drive and she leans forward in her seat, "Can we drive through somewhere?"

"Why don't we just stop for lunch?" Sharon suggests as she looks at the clock on the dashboard, looking over at Andy, "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Andy shrugs. Sharon rolls her eyes with a smile and takes the next turn.

"You can _always_ eat," She comments as they pull up to a light, looking back at Emily through the rearview mirror, "And I'm assuming that you're hitting the point where you could always eat too. What do you guys want?"

"Chinese," Emily and Andy echo in unison. Sharon laughs and shakes her head.

"There's that dumpling…" Andy starts.

"…dumpling place a couple blocks down," Emily finishes.

"Dumplings it is," Sharon says. She makes the short drive to the restaurant, managing to find a parking spot relatively close before pulling into it. Andy gets out and feeds the meter before opening Emily's door for her.

"Why thank you kind sir," Emily grins as she takes Andy's hand before she gets out of the car. Sharon walks around the back of the car to meet them before they head into the restaurant. Andy gets them a table and pulls out Sharon's chair for her before sitting down across from her and Emily. Emily picks up one of the menus on the table and folds it open as she starts to peruse the offerings.

The three of them order a variety of dumplings to split, each of them eating their fill before they pay the bill and head back out to the car. Emily sinks into the back seat, eating dessert buns out of a to-go bag as they finish their drive to the car dealership. Sharon finds an open spot to park in, getting out with Andy and Emily before they head into the showroom.

"I'm going to use the restroom real quick," She murmurs to her mom before heading off to the bathroom. She comes back a few minutes later and Andy introduces her to the sales woman who was going to be helping them.

"Em, this is Tricia. She's going to be helping us out with stuff today, highly recommended by the owner."

"It's nice to meet you," Emily smiles, shaking Tricia's hand.

"Your dad says you have some ideas already?" Tricia asks after letting Emily's hand go.

"Yeah," Emily nods, not bothering to correct Tricia, pulling the piece of paper out from her purse and handing it over, "These are kind of what I was drifting towards. At least from some online shopping."

"Okay, any features you'd prioritize over others?"

"Um, safe obviously," Emily chuckles, "I'd really prefer electric or a hybrid. Some storage space, enough for a stroller and a carseat with some groceries probably."

"What about your budget?"

"Under 30, would be nice."

"Alright, let me take your list and go pull our inventory real quick. It'll just take a couple minutes. Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?"

"A water would be great."

"Water coming up," Tricia smiles before stepping away. A couple moments later an assistant brings over three waters for them before leaving. Emily opens her water and takes a drink as she looks at the cars in the show room. She runs her fingers down the trim of an M Series BMW with a wistful sigh.

"You like sports cars?" Andy asks as he stands on the other side, his hands in his pockets.

"I like fast cars," Emily smiles, "I've always been a sucker for them. I had a boyfriend in high school, and his dad had a vintage Porche. Sometimes when we would go out we'd go out to the middle of nowhere and really crank the engine up."

"Why do I feel like your mom didn't know about that little tidbit?" Andy grins.

"Oh god no. Do you think she could have survived fast cars _and_ boys?" Emily laughs.

"What didn't I know about?" Sharon asks as she comes over, putting a hand on Andy's back.

"That your daughter is a speed demon," Andy teases.

"I knew that," Sharon says as she takes a sip of her water, "Every time she'd go out before night fall with Tommy Harris she'd come back with her hair in a rats nest and he'd honk before driving off that hideous yellow Porsche."

"Oh my god you knew about that?"

"Yes," Sharon nods with a smile, "I also had patrol pull him over for speeding every time he left our house in that damn car."

"Mom! He got in so much trouble after he got like three tickets."

"Never showed up in the Porsche again after that though," Sharon grins with a wink, looking over as Tricia comes back.

"Alright, I'm having a few brought up that we can take a look at and maybe take some test drives."

"Sounds great," Emily smiles, shooting her mother a look before following Tricia outside.

By the end of the afternoon they'd managed to secure financing for Emily to take home a new dark grey Prius-V hatchback. Emily thanks Tricia as she takes the keys, following Sharon and Andy outside to where they had parked earlier in the day, her car now parked next to her mom's. Emily presses the key on the lock to unlock the car before turning and wrapping her arms around Andy.

"Thanks for your help today."

"Of course," Andy says, surprised, as he hugs Emily back for a moment before letting her go. Emily smiles and looks down at her phone checking the time.

"I need to get going, Marnie is having an open house at the studio tonight and she wanted me to come by for a little bit at least," Emily says, tucking her phone into her back pocket, "I'll see you guys when I get home?"

"Sure," Sharon nods, "Drive safe. You have the house key right?"

"Yeah, in my wallet," Emily says before kissing her mother's cheek and getting in her car. Sharon waves her off as she pulls away before sighing and looking at Andy with a small smile. She takes his hand and pulls him closer to her, kissing him softly.

"You're amazing you know that?"

"This day has been really good for my ego," Andy grins as he wraps an arm around her waist. Sharon laughs and thumps him on the chest playfully. She kisses him once again before stepping back.

"Why don't we grab some dinner on the way home?"

"Can we watch the Dodgers game?"

"Sure," Sharon nods.

"Then you can pick dinner," Andy smiles.

"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Flynn," Sharon winks, giving Andy one last kiss before getting in the car.

Later in the evening Sharon smiles as she feels Andy's hands on her waist as she washes up after dinner, loading plates into the dishwasher, "Already bored with your game?"

"Game's a runaway, it's not any fun anymore," Andy claims as he presses his lips to her neck. Sharon hums and leans over a little bit further to grab a detergent tab to put into the washer before standing up as she closes and starts it. Her back presses to his chest as his arms wrap further around her waist.

"You seem like you already have other ideas of how you would want to spend the evening."

"Wanna take a dip?" Andy suggests, lifting his lips from her skin for a moment. Sharon's fingertips trail along his forearm as she considers his proposal before nodding.

"I think a swim would be nice. Water should be warm enough," Sharon says as she takes Andy's hand and tugs him out the sliding glass door to the back yard. She strips her clothes as she heads towards the pool before diving into the deep end stark naked. Andy laughs as he watches her skim through the water before popping up on the other end, brushing her hair back from her face and grinning at him.

Andy takes his own clothes off before jumping in next to her, grabbing her underneath the water before he breaks the surface. Sharon smiles and kisses him before pulling away and starting to stroke her way through the pool. He follows her path, half heartedly chasing her through the water, occasionally catching up to her and grabbing her by the waist, before she turns on him and pins him against the wall. Her knees dig into the cement as her hands nail his down on the decorative tile edging the pool.

"You're a bad influence," Sharon whispers as she looks down at Andy, brown eyes meeting green. Andy grins and trails his tongue over her neck, catching a meandering droplet of water on his tongue.

"You don't mind it though, do you?"

"Not at all," Sharon grins and captures Andy's lips in a hungry kiss, intent on losing herself in him.

The water in the pool slowly sloshes around them as they move together. Sharon buries her face in Andy's neck as she cries out his name, her hands grasping at the tile next to the pool. Andy's hands slide over her skin under the water as he pulls her closer, her own name falling from his lips in a strangled groan. She presses her lips to his jaw as she pants, her hand moving to cradle his head as she bobs against him.

"Bad influence," Sharon murmurs against his skin. Andy lets out a breathless laugh and looks down at Sharon, brushing a wet curl out of her face.

"We should go in before we drown," He replies, equally as quiet. Sharon hums in agreement before pulling away from Andy. She slowly treads her way over to the stairs before climbing up and shivering as the night air breezes against her wet skin. She collects her clothes on the way back to the house, stopping to grab a towel off the rack by the back door and wrap it around her body.

Andy laughs as she slaps at his hand as he reaches for her towel before wrapping his own around his waist. Sharon opens the sliding glass door and greets Emily when she notices her sitting at the kitchen table, quickly turning to swat at Andy's hand again. Andy's face morphs from playfulness to concern when he notices Emily hunching over the kitchen trash, before wincing as she throws up.

Sharon drops her clothes by the door and clutches the towel tighter around her body before rushing over to Emily, pulling her hair back from her face as she retches again. Emily wrinkles her nose as she spits thanking Sharon as she leans back in the chair she was sitting in.

"Are you okay?" Sharon asks as she nudges the trash away with her foot before feeling Emily's forehead and face, reassuring herself that it wasn't a fever. Emily nods and sighs as she takes a couple deep breaths.

"Yeah I think I just ate too much," She laughs softly, taking a glass of water from Andy, "Thank you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine. It's starting to pass," Emily assures her mother after she takes a few drinks of the water, finally noticing they were in towels, "Oh crap, I'm interrupting your night."

"Don't worry about it," Andy assures her as he takes the trash bag out of the can, "We were just heading up to bed anyway. I'm going to take this out real quick."

"Thank you," Sharon says, shooting him a grateful and apologetic look before looking at Emily, "What did you eat?"

"Oh god what didn't I eat?" Emily shakes her head, "I had way too many appetizers at the open house and then I decided to top it off with In-N-Out on my way home, and I sprung for animal style fries…This is not my proudest food moment."

"Honey," Sharon starts gently, "I know you have cravings, but moderation is key."

"I know," Emily sighs and groans as she rubs her stomach, "But it all tasted so good."

"I know," Sharon nods with a smile before helping Emily up.

"I'm going to go brush my teeth and then crawl into bed. Sorry I barfed all over your night, even if you were just going to bed."

"It's fine. There's some Pepto in the bathroom if you need it," Sharon offers before Emily trudges down the hall. She puts the trashcan back in place and replaces the bag before pushing the chair in, sighing when Andy comes back in from the garage.

"She okay?"

"She's fine, indulging a bit too much, but fine," Sharon says as she holds out her hand to Andy, "Come on. I'll give you a foot rub for throwing the pukey trash out."

"You're so good to me," Andy grins as he takes her hand and pulls her closer, dropping a kiss on her lips before following her upstairs.

* * *

[TBC]


	6. Chapter 6

Note: This is a shorter chapter but I think the content makes up for it! Enjoy :)

* * *

Though Emily had been home for a few weeks it had taken them a while to work through the swirl of when they were expecting to spend time together and when they were going to simply co-exist. Emily came and went as her schedule dictated, occasionally taking meals with Sharon and Andy. She spent time with Rusty when they both were interested and available, taking advantage of the chance to get to know her younger sibling better now that they were living in the same town. Most of her mornings and early afternoons were spent with the ballet company, working out and participating in rehearsals and then she went to the dance studio a few times a week to teach classes.

Sharon walks down to the end of the drive and opens the mailbox, pulling out a few pieces of mail along with a small box. She makes her way into the house, tossing her keys into the bowl and kicking of her shoes as she sorts through the mail. Hers and Andy's mail gets discarded on the kitchen counter and she makes her way down the hall before knocking on Emily's door and poking her head in.

"Hey," Emily says as she closes her book and stands up from the chair she'd been sitting in.

"Hey, mail for you," Sharon says as she hands over an envelope as well as the box.

"Thanks," Emily says as she takes them, tossing the envelope onto the dresser before opening the box.

"What did you get?" Sharon inquires as she leans in the doorway.

"I ordered pictures a couple weeks ago from the trip to Europe," Emily says as she pulls the prints out and flips through them, "I was thinking about putting a scrapbook together of some of them."

"Any pictures of your mysterious European suitor in there?"

"Um yeah, actually I think there is one..." Emily's brow furrows as she continues flipping through the stack of pictures before pulling one out and handing it to Sharon, "That's him."

"He's wearing a kilt," Sharon says dumbly as she looks at the picture of the man with his arms wrapped around her daughter. Emily laughs and nods as she puts the rest of the pictures on her desk next to her computer, "And he's gigantic...he has to be at least a foot taller than you. Where did you meet him?"

"Scotland. We had a couple vacation days so some of us went north and someone suggested we check out a Highland Games festival that was going on near by. He was competing and we'd caught each others eye throughout the day a few times," Emily explains, taking a seat on the end of the bed, "So when there was an after party, drinking, dancing, all that, we started talking. One thing lead to another and...here we are."

"What's his name?"

"Oh god, you're so going to make fun of me for this," Emily says as her cheeks color, "Alfie."

Sharon lets out a laugh and Emily rolls her eyes, snapping the picture back from her mother.

"What? He was hot okay? God..." Emily grumbles as she looks at the picture before putting it on the pile on her desk. Her fingers linger as they brush over Alfie's face in the picture. He was gigantic; taller than her and practically six and a half feet of walking muscle topped off with a scruffy, chiseled face and an unruly mop of bright auburn hair.

"Did you tell him?" Sharon asks as Emily looks at the picture a moment longer. Emily shakes her head as she rubs her hand along the underside of her stomach.

"I never got his number," Emily admits with a shrug, "And I made the decision to keep doing this."

"Okay," Sharon nods and straightens up, "Andy is at a meeting tonight, do you want to go grab dinner with me?"

"That sounds great," Emily smiles.

"Alright," Sharon smiles back, "Let me go change into some jeans real quick and then we can go."

"Sure," Emily nods. Sharon moves upstairs to her and Andy's room and grabs a pair of jeans from her dresser, exchanging her work pants for them before running a brush through her hair. She switches her blazer out for a cardigan and makes her way back downstairs to meet Emily by the front door.

"What sounds good?" Sharon asks as they walk out to the car.

"I'd eat anything," Emily shrugs with a smile as she walks around to the passenger side of the car. Sharon taps her nails against the steering wheel as she navigates out of their neighborhood before taking a right onto the main road. Emily looks out the window at the passing scenery for a few minutes before looking over as Sharon flips through a couple radio stations before settling on a classical station, "Have you ever been disappointed in us?"

"What?" Sharon says as she looks over at her daughter for a moment.

"Me, Ricky, Rusty...have you ever been disappointed in us?" Emily asks again. Sharon's mouth opens and closes a few times before she sighs.

"Where is this coming from?" Sharon asks.

"Have you?"

"Maybe once at the most with each of you," Sharon says, casting her eyes over to Emily quickly, watching as her daughter stares into her lap while her fingers stroke back and forth over her bump. Emily's brow furrows as she processes Sharon's answer before whispering.

"Are you disappointed in me?"

"Emily Eileen, why on Earth would I be disappointed in you?" Sharon asks, exasperation finding it's way into her voice as she grips the steering wheel. Her brow contorts in confusion as she throws a look at Emily.

"Yesterday when we went to Mass…I didn't walk out of there feeling good," Emily says, her nose wrinkling as her voice gets thick, "I felt dirty. I mean I had to sit in confession and air out my sins, I felt like _they_ were a sin. And I…I mean the entire time we were growing up, it was Sunday mass, Catholic school, communion. I used to like that, even when I broke the rules I found a little bit of comfort in it. And you…"

"Emily," Sharon says quietly, reaching over to cover Emily's hand, squeezing it tight, "What's the one thing I taught you and your brother growing up? Be…"

"Be safe and be kind," Emily mumbles.

" _That_ is all I ever wanted for you. I wanted you to be good people with good hearts and good morals. I don't care if you never set foot in church again in your life, as long as you were a good and kind person," Sharon assures her daughter, "I chose to send you to that school and take you to church with me to give you a good foundation. It was a foundation I was raised on, and there was a time in my life when I turned my back on it and I didn't think it suited me anymore."

"There was?" Emily says, lifting her head to look at Sharon.

"Yeah, but I found solace and comfort in old rituals when things got bad and I realized there was a lot more there for me than I ever thought there was. Faith doesn't always have to be a constant, Em…faith just has to be faith, no matter what it's in," Sharon says, looking over at Emily as they sit at a stop light. She squeezes her daughter's hand again with a small smile. Emily searches her mother's eyes for a moment before sighing.

"So even though this is not according to the rules…"

"If there's one thing that I've learned the last few years," Sharon interrupts, "It's that everything isn't always according to the rules. Are you happy with your decision?"

"Yeah," Emily says without hesitation.

"Then what's a couple broken rules," Sharon smiles, arching her eyebrow. Emily laughs and shakes her head as she swipes a finger under her eye before looking over at Sharon.

"Who are you and what have you done with my mom?" Emily asks playfully, her speech still slightly choked.

"Must be the Andy Effect," Sharon winks, before driving through the light and pulling into a restaurant soon. She parks the car close to the entrance before getting out and walking around to Emily's side. The younger brunette takes a moment to check her makeup before getting out of the car.

Sharon holds her arms open and pulls Emily close to her, rubbing her hands up her back as she presses a kiss to her head. Emily sighs tearfully and wraps her arms around Sharon, squeezing her tight. Sharon holds her close for a couple moments, her cheek resting against her temple before she speaks again.

"I can't say that I won't ever feel disappointed in you guys ever again. But you three will never, _ever_ be a disappointment to me. You have all achieved so much, and you're amazing, kind, considerate people…" Sharon murmurs, "And my grandchildren, no matter how they come about or enter this world, are never going to be disappointments. As long as you raise them to…"

"Be safe and be kind," Emily finishes as she steps back.

"Exactly," Sharon smiles. Emily swipes her fingers under her eyes again to catch a couple wayward tears before letting out a small laugh as she smiles at her mother.

"Okay, enough of the pregnant girl crying for one night."

"I did promise to feed you," Sharon says with a slight nod, looping her arm around Emily's before leading her into the restaurant.

* * *

[TBC]


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Still me here, just a changed username to fall in line with the rest of my social media. If you're still reading, thanks for tagging along through this story! And Guests thanks so much for your reviews :D**

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Emily sighs as her keys jingle in her hand, watching the numbers of the elevator at the PAB count up on her way up to her mother's floor. Once the door dings on the ninth floor she steps out, sidestepping a young patrol officer on his way in before heading for the Murder Room. She makes her way around the corners and punches in a code for the door, breezing in.

"I come bearing lunch," Emily comments as she sets down two pizzas on Amy's desk before handing a paper bag to Andy, "And a salad for you."

"Thanks, Em," Andy says, leaning down to kiss her cheek as he takes the bag.

"Is Mom almost ready to go?" Emily asks, looking around his shoulder into her mother's office to see if she was inside.

"She's just wrapping up," Andy says, "Listen..."

"Emily," A voice calls from behind her. Emily turns around and her eyes widen as she clutches her keys to her chest.

"Dad," Emily replies staring at Jack for a moment, before looking over his shoulder at her mother who was looking at her with an apologetic look in her hazel eyes. Sharon breezes past and squeezes Emily's arm, on her way to her office.

"Just let me grab my bag," Sharon murmurs, hustling into her office to grab her purse and blazer before coming back out as she shrugs on the garment, flipping her hair out from under her collar. Emily was standing awkwardly across from her father, her hand resting protectively on her stomach with Andy protectively at her back, "Jack, I still have fifteen more hours on the clock with Marco Jimenez. And I'm using them."

"You don't have a case," Jack says, his eyes snapping away from Emily's and looking at Sharon accusingly, "This is harassment."

"It's an investigation," Sharon bites back, "Em, let's get going. Don't want to be late."

"Right," Emily says, saying goodbye to the team before following her mother down the hall. When they're alone in the elevator car Emily sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, "What is he doing here?"

"He's registered on the court appointed lawyer loop," Sharon replies as they ride down, "I was going to text you but I never got a chance."

"It's okay," Emily grumbles slightly.

"I take it you haven't talked in a while?"

"No," Emily shakes her head, "He was in New York about six months ago…it was just a bad trip."

"What happened?"

"He shows up unannounced like he always does…he was in town for a couple days on business, looking at law firms or something," Emily explains as they step off the elevator, her hand waving in a manner that was similar to her mother's mannerisms, "Said he wanted to see me and see one of my shows. So I offered that he could stay with me if he wanted. We went to dinner, had a decent time. I managed to find him a ticket to the show the next night and he didn't show…and I came home to an empty apartment, with a letter taped to the fridge, my change jar emptied, and down the pair of diamond earrings that Daniel had bought me for my birthday."

"Emily!" Sharon exclaims as she follows Emily to the car, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because he always does this! I'm thirty years old and I shouldn't have believed that my dad just wanted to see me," Emily says, frustrated. She unlocks her car and climbs into the drivers seat before turning the engine over. Sharon gets in the passenger side and sets her purse at her feet as she buckles her seatbelt, "He always does this. And I'm done. I don't want to deal with it anymore, and I'm not putting my kid through his crap either."

"Emily…" Sharon sighs softly.

"I'm hardly heartbroken about it," Emily says as she pulls out into traffic.

Sharon sighs and reaches over, squeezing Emily's arm, "I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay," Emily says quietly, keeping her eyes focused on the road, "How's the case going?"

"It's going okay, we've got a suspect, but we're still trying to stitch things together."

"Thanks for being able to leave to come to the doctor with me."

"I wouldn't miss this," Sharon smiles. Emily pulls into the parking area for her doctor's office and finds a spot before pulling in. She turns the car off and pockets her keys before getting out with Sharon. The two of them make their way inside and Emily checks in at the front desk as Sharon takes a seat in the waiting area. They wait for a few minutes before Emily's name is called by the nurse.

"They'll come get you when we go to do the ultrasound," Emily tells Sharon.

"Sure," Sharon smiles and squeezes her daughter's hand before pulling out her cell phone. She busies herself sending a few messages to the team and checking in with where they were with the investigation before starting to go through emails. After a little while the nurse that had come to get Emily comes back out and calls her back. She hikes her purse over her shoulder and walks through the small hallway, thanking the nurse when she indicates the ultrasound room.

"Hey," Emily smiles at her mother, already laying back against a couple pillows on the table. Sharon sets her bag down next to an empty chair and takes a seat next to the table.

"How did everything go?"

"Fine," Emily says, "So far so good. Gaining weight on schedule, good measurements."

"Good," Sharon smiles and looks up as the doctor comes into the room.

"Doctor Fredrickson this is my mom, Sharon. Mom, my doctor, Doctor Fredrickson."

"Nice to meet you," Sharon says, shaking the doctor's hand before she washes up and takes a seat on the stool in front of the ultrasound machine.

"Ready to see your little guy or gal?"

"Yes," Emily nods enthusiastically. The doctor gets everything set up before Emily lifts her hips and pulls her shirt up over her belly, letting out a long breath as she smooths her hands over her stomach. Doctor Fredrickson rolls the top of her leggings down a bit and tucks a couple Kleenex in before grabbing the bottle of gel and squirting a decent amount over Emily's stomach.

"What we're going to be doing today is an exam to take a bunch of measurements, make sure that the baby's growing right and there aren't any deformities. Once I finish we can take a look and see if we can tell what you're having. Sound good?" Emily nods and smiles, grabbing onto Sharon's hand as the doctor starts the scan. They both look up at the screen mounted on the opposite wall and Sharon laughs softly as the baby comes into focus after a moment.

"I don't think I've seen an ultrasound since I had your brother," Sharon comments.

"I can't believe how big they've gotten," Emily says as she watches the black and white footage while the doctor continues to move the wand around and take a series of measurements.

"Probably a lot bigger than your last ultrasound," The doctor comments, "But they're not even a pound yet."

"That's crazy," Emily comments, her free hand resting against the top of her stomach. She looks over at Sharon after a moment and squeezes her hand. Sharon looks away from the screen and over to Emily, arching her eyebrow, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," Sharon smiles. After a while the doctor pauses and looks over at Emily with a reassuring smile.

"Everything is looking good and measuring on track. You want to know what you're having?"

"Please," Emily nods. Her eyes stay glued to the screen as the baby begins to move again while the doctor moves the wand around. She pauses a few moments later, wiggling the wand back and forth as she presses it in a little bit more.

"See that?" The doctor circles an area on the ultrasound.

"Mmhm."

"No dangly bits, you're having a girl."

"A girl?" Emily smiles widely, looking over at her mother, "I'm having a girl!"

"You're having a girl!" Sharon exclaims back, her own eyes widening as she grins.

"And she's doing just fine," The doctor assures again before turning the machine off and hanging up the wand. She hands Emily a towel to wipe her stomach off with before pulling the string of pictures off of the printer for her handing them to Sharon to hold on to, "Keep doing what you're doing and I'll see you again in a month. Call me if you have any questions before then okay?"

"Thanks Doctor Fredrickson," Emily says as she wipes off her stomach. The doctor leaves them alone and Emily finishes cleaning off her stomach before throwing it away along with the Kleenex that had been protecting her pants. She fixes her clothes and climbs down off the table before smiling as she catches Sharon staring longingly at the ultrasound pictures, "Can you believe it?"

"Barely," Sharon says before standing up herself and handing the pictures over to Emily. Emily wraps her arm around Sharon's as they walk out of the exam room and navigate out of the office. She takes her mom back to work and drops her off at the door, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you for coming today."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Sharon says kissing Emily on the head, "I'll try to keep you updated on when we'll be home."

"Sounds good, good luck with the case...and Dad," Emily says as Sharon steps out of the car, waiting for her to walk into the PAB before pulling away. Sharon makes her way up to the Murder Room, smiling when she sees Andy waiting in her office with lunch. She steps into the room and sets her bag down, hanging up her blazer before pressing a soft kiss to his lips since the Murder Room was empty.

"You didn't have to wait for me to eat lunch."

"I wanted to be here when you got back," Andy says with a smile, "So?"

"They're both healthy, doctor says the baby's measuring perfect."

"And…"

"It's a girl," Sharon squeals, clapping her hands as a grin bursts across her face again. Andy grins as well, wrapping her up in a hug.

"That's great!"

"I'm so excited," Sharon murmurs as she hugs Andy close, "A baby girl."

"Emily's happy?"

"Ecstatic," Sharon says as she steps back, taking a seat at her desk before taking a calming breath, "Okay, okay. I can freak out about this again later. Want to catch me up?"

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[TBC]


	8. Chapter 8

**Note:** This chapter has some M rated content in it!

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Sharon pads out into the garage and hands Andy a glass of iced tea before taking a seat on a stool. Andy holds out a small panel of wood to her in exchange for the glass.

"What color? There is Island Coral, Weathered Teak, or Beechwood if we want to stain or if you want to paint I have Ice Cube, Quilt Gold, Reflecting Pool, Gray Shingle, or Talipot Palm," Andy says, indicating the colors as he points them out. Sharon smiles as she takes a drink of her lemonade as she looks at the colors, "And that's just what I picked up samples of. We can look at other stuff."

"No, these are great to pick from," Sharon assures him. She sets her glass down on the garage floor and studies the colors more carefully before tapping her nails against the board, "What if we did the dark gray for the majority of it but did the slats in the white? I know she's getting a lot of stuff in gray, but then she doesn't have to worry about matching colors or anything."

"Yeah we could do that," Andy nods taking the board back and looking at the colors, "I'll have to go pick up a couple gallons but it shouldn't take too long to paint and put back together."

"You are amazing," Sharon comments as she leans forward and presses a kiss to Andy's lips, "You know that?"

"You've mentioned it a couple times," Andy smiles before getting up from the garage floor, "Let me pack this stuff up and sweep up real quick. I'm going to run down to the paint store and pick up what we need, and then maybe you can help me clean myself up when I get back?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sharon hums as she picks her glass up and stands up, leaning up on her toes to kiss Andy deeply, "I do kind of like you covered in saw dust…very manly."

Andy winks at Sharon before she heads back inside, starting to clean up the pieces of wood strewn about the garage floor. He stacks everything into a box and shoves it onto a shelf before grabbing the broom. After giving the garage a quick sweep Andy grabs his keys off the work bench and yells out to Sharon that he was leaving before heading down to his car.

Once he's on his way out of the neighborhood he taps on the display on the center console, calling Emily. He turns into the main traffic as the call rings through, smiling when it connects.

"Hey, Em. How's everything going?"

"Hey, Andy!" Emily's voice bubbles through, "Nicole and I are almost done setting up, Rusty just left for the airport to pick up the guys. How about on your end?"

"I am out running an errand real quick, then your mom and I are going to get ready when I get back to the house. We should be there by three at the latest. Did you have any problem picking up the thing?"

"Nope, all taken care of and waiting for you when you guys get here."

"Alright, let me know if you need anything before we get there."

"Of course."

"Bye Em."

"Bye!" Andy hangs up the call and turns into the paint store parking lot. He picks up the paint and supplies he needed before heading home. He puts everything in the garage before heading inside.

"Sharon?" Andy calls out as he closes up the garage and takes his shoes off, putting them on the rack in the mud room.

"Bathroom!" Sharon calls out. Andy makes his way through the house to the master bath, pushing the door open and smiling when he sees Sharon stretched out in the bathtub, her hair pinned up from her neck. Sharon smiles back at him and winks, "Hi."

"You got a head start."

"I wanted to make sure the water was the right temperature," Sharon reasons with a playful tone. Andy strips out of his dirty clothes and tosses them into the hamper before walking over to the tub. Sharon shifts forward and he slips in behind her, sighing as he sinks into the warm bubbly water.

"That's a pretty good temperature you picked."

"I thought you'd like it," Sharon comments as she settles back against Andy's chest. He wraps his arm around her, his fingers stroking over her stomach. She hums quietly and closes her eyes as her head settles against his shoulder, "I've missed this."

"What do you mean?"

"Having the house to ourselves, spending time with you," Sharon says, letting her fingers stroke over Andy's forearm, "I feel like I've been neglecting you."

"You haven't been neglecting me," Andy murmurs as he presses his lips to her neck.

"You sure?"

"Very sure," Andy assures her, nuzzling her ear. Sharon smiles and turns her head, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss.

"I love you very much Andy Flynn."

"I love you too," Andy smiles. Sharon presses her mouth to his again and kisses him hungrily, running her fingers through his hair. Andy tightens his hold on her and pulls her closer as he responds to her kiss. He reaches up and unclips her hair, running his fingers through her messy curls after discarding the clip onto the side of the tub.

"I like where this is going," Sharon murmurs as she turns so she's completely facing Andy, her legs straddling his hips.

"Oh yeah?" Andy grins as he looks up at her. Sharon nods and returns his grin as she kisses him again. Her hips teasingly glide against his as they kiss. Andy grunts softly, squeezing her hips as he moves back against her.

"You have no idea how turned on I got when I came into the garage earlier…" Sharon murmurs, rocking down against him again, "All of that working with your hands."

"You know how good I am with my hands," Andy grins and waggles his eyebrows. Sharon laughs softly, her laugh turning into a soft moan as Andy's fingers trail over her center.

"Oh…" Sharon sighs softly as her eyes close, rocking against his probing fingers, "That does feel good…"

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Sharon nods as she continues to move. After a few more moments she pushes his hand away with a whimper, her eyes slowly opening as she looks down at Andy. She shifts her hips and slowly sinks down on him, not breaking their eye contact as she takes in his full length. Her skin flushes as she tangles her fingers in his hair while her jaw drops slightly in a silent whimper.

Andy's fingers trail up and down her spine, his hips moving with hers. He leans up and captures Sharon's mouth in a deep kiss with a soft groan. Sharon's nails scrape gently against his scalp before she lets him go and braces her hands against the back of the tub.

"You feel so good," Andy murmurs as he presses kisses along her jaw. Sharon moans into his ear and flexes her muscles around him. His hand slips between them again and teases her center as he slides in and out of her, massaging his fingers over her clit.

"Oh my god," Sharon moans as her grip on the tub tightens. Andy bites at her neck before trailing his tongue over her pulse, his fingers moving in time with his mouth's ministrations. Her moans reverberate off the tile of the bathroom as she rocks eagerly against him. His mouth moves lower and he casts his eyes upward as he sinks his teeth gently into the flesh of her breast, gently sucking at the pale skin he finds there. Sharon gasps and lets out a long moan as she cries out Andy's name as she lets go, "Andyyy..."

"Uhnnn," Andy groans into Sharon's chest as he squeezes her close, his own release spilling out as she pulses around him. Sharon's grip on the tub loosens as she sinks her weight against Andy. She pulls his head back and lazily presses her lips to his in a soft kiss, humming as she slips back into the water.

"You are..." Sharon smiles and drops her head to Andy's shoulder, "So good."

"You're not too bad yourself," Andy replies as his hand rubs up her back.

The two of them cuddle in the bath for a while longer before the water starts to cool. Sharon pulls the drain as Andy starts the shower and they get cleaned up. Sharon wraps a towel around her hair before shrugging into her robe with a happy sigh. She ties the sash around her waist and heads over to the sink, beginning her standard skin care routine.

Andy heads into the bedroom after drying off, dressing in his boxers and an undershirt before sinking down on the end of the bed and turning the tv on. He immediately flips over to the Dodgers game and rests back on his elbows, knowing he had a while before he needed to actually start getting ready. He waits until he hears the hair dryer going to get up and put his jeans on, heading into the closet to grab a button up to wear to Nicole's. He pulls out a lilac dress shirt and buttons up as Sharon comes breezing into the closet, wrapped in her robe with her makeup done and her hair curled into beachy waves.

"Purple?" Sharon asks as she looks at his shirt, digging through her dresser to find a pair of panties and a bra.

"Yeah is that okay?" Andy asks as he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt.

"Perfect," Sharon smiles as she pulls out a deep violet colored set. She hangs up her robe before dressing in her undergarments and turning to flip through her dress collection. Andy's eyes drag slowly down her back, taking in the fabric against her pale skin and swallowing as his eyes continue down over her backside, "You're staring."

"Sorry," Andy says as his eyes snap up to hers as she turns around with a purple sun dress that matched his shirt, giving her a sheepish grin.

"Do you think this is okay?" Sharon asks as she holds out the dress a bit more, "I don't know what you and Nicole have planned for this little barbecue."

"It'll be perfect," Andy says with a nod, "And I told you, it's just a little family get together for your birthday. Cole wanted to do something for you."

"I know," Sharon sighs as she takes the dress off the hanger and steps into it, turning her back to Andy so he can zip her up. She shakes out her hair and straightens out the dress before turning back to him, "I just am not that used to the fuss."

"Well get used to it," Andy replies as he drops a kiss to her lips, "You ready?"

"Let me grab some shoes and then we can go," Sharon says as she moves over to her shoes, grabbing a pair of matching heels before following Andy out of the bedroom and downstairs. She grabs her purse and slips the shoes on before smiling at Andy, "Ready."

"Then we're on our way," Andy smiles and grabs the car keys before walking Sharon out to the car. They make their way over to Nicole's and Sharon smiles when she sees Emily and Rusty's cars already parked on the street. Andy pulls into the driveway and parks behind Nicole's car before turning off the engine and going around to Sharon's side. He offers her a hand to help her out of the car, wrapping their arms together as they make their way up the walk. He knocks on the door a couple times before opening up and leading Sharon inside, "Hello?"

"In the kitchen!" Nicole calls out. Sharon makes her way down the hallway towards the kitchen with Andy at her back. She stops in her tracks when she sees Ricky standing at the island with Emily putting together kabobs for the grill. Ricky looks up from the vegetables in his hand and smiles at his mom, waving the half put together kabob at her.

"Hey Mom!"

"Ricky what are you doing here?" Sharon says as she walks forward, dropping her purse on the counter before pulling Ricky into a hug. Ricky laughs and sets down the food in his hands before hugging her back.

"It's your birthday, you didn't think I'd miss that," Ricky says as he squeezes her and lifts her off of her feet. Sharon laughs, pulling back when he sets her down.

"Well thank you for coming."

"Thank your daughter, she haughtily demanded my presence," Ricky says, waving a hand at his sister with a grin before picking back up on his job.

"Haughtily is a bit much," Emily protests with a playful glare before finishing her last kabob. She stacks them all onto a platter and carries them over to the fridge before washing her hands. She thanks Nicole as she hands her a dishtowel to dry with.

"Hey Nic where do you guys kee…" Charlie asks as he walks in, smiling when he sees Andy. He waves his hand in a small wave, "Hey Dad."

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" Andy says as he walks further into the kitchen, embracing his son and clapping him on the back gently, "It's good to see you."

"Ah, Nic called me and asked if I wanted to come visit for the weekend. She thought it would be a good surprise," Charlie says as he steps back, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

"Emily thought it would be nice if we got the whole family together for dinner," Nicole explains, "And Sharon's birthday kind of presented the perfect opportunity."

" _Then_ I thought if we're all going to be together…," Emily says with an excited smile, "Why not get family pictures taken? The photographer should be here in a few minutes, and thanks to your need to match Andy we're all dressed to match you guys."

"You knew about this?" Sharon says casting a look at Andy. He shrugs and smiles, winking at her. Sharon mock glares at him before looking around and finally noticing that everyone was wearing some shade of purple, "Honey…"

"Happy birthday?" Emily says, raising her eyebrows in apprehension. Sharon's face melts into a smile as she hugs Emily close and kisses her head.

"This is great, thank you for organizing it."

"It wasn't just me everyone helped," Emily says with a smile as she hugs Sharon back.

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[TBC]


	9. Chapter 9

**Note:** Someone requested a bit of angst so we'll see how this goes. Also, please keep your reviews coming - I love reading them and it helps form the story!

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Sharon pours herself a glass of iced tea as they wait for the photographer to get setup. She looks at Andy over the rim as she takes a sip before speaking.

"So you knew about all of this?" She asks.

"Emily set everything up," Andy shrugs, "Just tasked me with getting you here. I didn't know about Charlie coming though. He usually doesn't make weekend trips, they're a bit of a hassle."

"Well I'm glad the girls were able to talk him into coming down," Sharon smiles.

"Me too," Andy smiles back. He leans over and presses a small kiss to her lips before they walk over to the rest of the family.

"You look spiffy," Sharon comments as she grabs onto Rusty's tie playfully and strokes the purple silk with her thumb, giving Gus a pointed look as well, "For going to the beach with Gus."

"Hey, don't crease the tie, Gus picked it out and I have to wear this to work still," Rusty says with a grin, pulling his tie out of her hand, "And we are going to the beach, later after dinner."

"You four gang up together too well," Sharon shakes her head with a smile. The photographer comes over a few moments later and starts getting everybody lined up for their pictures. Emily had talked to her beforehand and given her a general idea of the groupings they wanted to photograph, figuring that Sharon or the others might want some that she hadn't thought of.

"Let's do the full family picture first so we can get that out of the way," The photographer suggests, starting to position the kids first before placing Andy and Sharon in the middle in the front. She wraps her arm around Andy's waist and gently flips her hair over her shoulder, looking up with a frown as he pulls away from her.

"What are you doing?" Sharon asks as he moves to face her.

"There's one thing missing," Andy comments before digging into his pants pocket. He pulls out a ring box and gets down on one knee, opening it up on the way. He holds it out facing Sharon, taking her hand in his and squeezing her knuckles. Sharon's eyes widen as he moves and a small gasp spills out from between her parted lips.

"Andy..." Sharon whispers.

"I've been wracking my brain for days trying to think of the perfect thing to say, and all I've managed to come up with is that I love you. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I _plan_ on spending the rest of my life with you. And I want to do that with you as my wife," Andy explains, "So, Sharon O'Dwyer Raydor, will you marry me?"

"Oh Andy," Sharon says, reaching down to cup Andy's cheeks in her hands. She pulls him up from the ground and presses her lips to his in a soft kiss. She pulls back and smiles as she strokes his cheek, looking up at him with glistening eyes, "Of _course_ I'll marry you."

"Yeah?" Andy says, his eyes widening a little bit as he pulls her closer.

"Definitely," Sharon smiles with a nod and kisses him again. Andy kisses her back softly before taking her hand in his and pulling the ring out of the box. He slides the ring onto her finger and presses his lips to hers again.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon smiles. Andy closes the box and stuffs it back into his pocket, winking at Sharon before stepping back into his place in the picture. Sharon wraps her arm around his waist with ease as she rests a hand against his chest, her new bauble sparkling in the sunlight.

Later in the evening Nicole and Emily watch out the window as Andy plays with the boys in the back yard while Sharon sits on the edge of the pool with her feet dipped in. Emily rinses off a dish and sets it in the rack to dry, laughing as Andy picks up Danny and lifts him over his head like an airplane, 'flying' him around the back yard as Sam chases them.

"You know I think my dad's probably the only person that out ranks you in their eyes," Nicole comments with a smile as they continue to wash dishes.

"Probably for the best at the moment. I'm in no shape to be lifting seventy pound boys playing airplanes," Emily grins.

"How much longer do you have?"

"Fourteen weeks," Emily replies, using a towel to dry off the platter that Nicole had handed her, "It all seemed to be going so fast at first and now it's practically a glacial pace. I can't wait for her to get here."

"Have you thought of any names?"

"I have a few picked out. I might just wait until she gets here and see what fits, what feels right, you know?"

"Understandable," Nicole smiles, "Dean was telling me one time that Danny was almost named Andrew, but once they saw him they changed their mind."

"That would have been interesting once you guys got together," Emily jokes. Nicole laughs and nods, pulling the plug out of the bottom of the sink, "You and Dean ever think about having kids?"

"We've talked about it, maybe in the next couple years," Nicole says as she dries her hands, "We were still finding our footing as a family for so long even after the wedding. We didn't want to disrupt that right away with a new baby."

"I think your dad would be thrilled. Sometimes I wonder who's more excited; him or my mom."

"I'm glad he's been there for you," Nicole tells Emily as she turns her back and leans against the sink, "I know stuff with your dad hasn't been the greatest..."

"That's an understatement sometimes," Emily says as she lets out a wry laugh, "You know...since they've gotten together I think it's helped me reconcile some of the feelings I've had towards my dad over the years. For as much as Andy screwed up in the past...he's come a long way."

"He has," Nicole nods in agreement, "He definitely has."

"And no matter how similar our family is to the Brady Bunch...it meshes, right?"

"It does. The few times we've all gotten together have gone extremely well...I mean I don't know if I could have gotten Charlie to come home for a weekend before you guys."

"So no hard feelings about being step siblings soon, good," Emily grins and winks, nudging Nicole playfully.

"Your mom is hardly a wicked step mother," Nicole laughs. They both look up as Sharon and Andy come in carrying the boys, both of them yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"I think these two explorers are ready for bed," Andy comments.

"You can tuck them in if you want," Nicole says with a smile, pushing herself up from her spot at the sink and leading Andy and Sharon upstairs,"The babysitter is going to be here soon anyway."

"Babysitter?" Andy asks as he follows his daughter.

"Yeah, all of us were going to go out for drinks after you guys headed home," Nicole says.

"We could have taken them home with us," Sharon says as she sets Sam down in front of the bathroom with Danny. The boys go in and get their toothbrushes out, starting their bedtime routine.

"You guys just got engaged. You can hardly tell me that celebrating with a seven year old and a six year old is your idea of an evening well spent."

"Well..." Sharon blushes.

"Besides we have the neighbor girl sit with them all the time," Nicole waves them off, getting out the boys' pajamas from their dressers, "And you'll have the house to yourselves for a few hours."

"Thanks," Andy says, rubbing the back of his neck, "I think."

"No problem," Nicole smiles and sets the pajamas out on their respective beds, "They'll probably want a story but then they'll be out."

"Sure," Sharon nods, giving Andy a pained look as Nicole escapes back down the stairs, "Should I be weirded out that our children are conspiring to make sure we have the house to ourselves."

"Let's just appreciate it," Andy says, dropping a kiss on her lips before the boys come into their room after finishing with their teeth and using the bathroom.

"Are you going to read us a story?" Sam asks as he tugs his shirt over his head and tosses it at the hamper, missing by a few feet before flinging his pants in the same direction. Sharon bends down to grab the small clothes and nods as she puts them in the bin properly.

"We can, do you have one that you want to hear?"

"Puddle Pug!" Danny demands as he changes his clothes himself. Sharon helps Sam with his shirt before lifting him into bed.

"Puddle Pug, huh?" Andy says, going over to their small book case and finding the mentioned book. Daniel climbs into bed next to his brother looking up at his grandparents expectantly.

"Who do you want to read?"

"Uhhhh, Grandpa!" Sam says with a clap. Andy takes a spot next to the boys on the twin bed, stretching out before opening the book. Sharon sits at the end of the bed, leaning back and propping her head up on her hand. Andy reads the short story book to them before closing the cover and looking over at their even droopier eyes.

"Alright, time for bed," Andy says as he gets up. He picks Danny up and carries him over to his bed, laying him down and tucking him in. Sharon does the same with Sam before they switch kids. Once the boys are tucked in and the book is placed back on the shelf they turn off the light as they step out of the room, quietly bidding one last 'Goodnight' before they head back downstairs.

Nicole was talking to a young girl who was about 15 years old, explaining how long they would be out and how they could be reached. Everyone gets packed up and heads out of the house, mingling on the front lawn for a few minutes as they organize who was driving. Sharon waits for everyone to get into their respective cars before stopping Emily.

"Call..."

"If we need rides," Emily finishes with a smile, "I know. We'll be fine. They're hardly going to get smashed and even if they do I'll make sure everyone gets home safely. Promise."

"Okay," Sharon nods, "Have a good time."

"You too," Emily winks with a grin before heading over to her car and getting in. Sharon shakes her head as another blush creeps up her cheeks before heading over to the car where Andy was waiting for her, leaning against the hood.

"And then there were two," He smiles at her, holding his hand out. Sharon takes his hand and steps closer, pressing her lips to his.

"Well apparently we have some celebrating to do, Mr. Flynn."

"We do," Andy grins. Sharon rolls her eyes playfully before walking around to the passenger side of the car. Her eyes take in the new addition to her ring finger as the lights filter into the car on their drive home. Andy had picked out a vintage thin white gold band of subtle, but ornate filigree. The round diamond was cradled in a matching basket, sparkling as the light hit it. Her fingers flare out as she looks at it, before closing her hand and letting out a happy sigh.

"This ring is gorgeous, where did you manage to find it?" She asks as she looks over at Andy.

"Ah, I didn't," Andy says, venturing a glance over at Sharon, "It was my grandmother's. Since I never had any sisters my mom left it to me when she died."

"Oh Andy," Sharon whispers, leaning over to press a kiss to Andy's cheek, "Thank you. I'm honored."

"You're worth it," Andy smiles, reaching over to take Sharon's hand. She presses a kiss to his knuckles and smiles against his skin.

Later in the evening Sharon whimpers as she rolls away from Andy, the house phone ringing on the bedside table. Andy grumbles and rolls over away from her, pulling the blankets a little bit. Sharon reaches out and grabs the phone as she lays on her side, puling the blankets up to cover her chest. After hitting the talk button she lifts the handset to her ear and yawns as she answers.

"Raydor," Sharon murmurs as she looks at the clock, noting that it was a little after one in the morning.

"Mom!"

"Rusty?" Sharon replies, sitting up a little bit more alert as she hears his worried voice filter through, "What's wrong?"

"Oh god," Rusty says, and Sharon can hear that he's on the verge of tears, "There was…We were on our way home and-and-and there was an accident. And I-I-I don't know what happened but…"

"Where are you?" Sharon says as she finally sits up all the way, reaching back to shake Andy to wake him up.

"Cedars…they brought us to Cedars."

* * *

[TBC]


	10. Chapter 10

They'd been out of the house in a matter of moments and speeding towards Cedars-Sinai Hospital while Andy had called into the traffic division to find out what had happened in the accident. Sharon breezes into the bustling ER with Andy at her back, still barking into his cell phone at the traffic division.

"Mom!" Rusty jumps up out of a chair in the waiting area and rushes over. Sharon immediately wraps her arms around him and squeezes him close, pressing a kiss to his head before pulling back.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" Sharon asks as she takes in the cut on his forehead that had been cleaned up and stitched among the other small cuts on his face.

"I'm fine," Rusty shakes his head, waving towards Gus who was talking to Andy, "We're fine…they're almost done with Charlie."

"What about Emily and Ricky?"

"Ah, I don't know they were taken into another area when we got here," Rusty says, "No one will tell me what's going on. I've been asking."

"Okay, sit back down and I'm going to see if I can find out what's going on," Sharon says. She reaches out and squeezes Andy's arm before heading over to the check in desk, "I need to know what's going on with Emily and Richard Raydor, they were brought in with three other people from a car accident…about an hour ago? My son said he hasn't gotten any information since they were brought in."

"You are?" The nurse asks as she looks up from her computer.

"Their mother, Captain Sharon Raydor, LAPD," Sharon says, her tone deepening towards Darth territory.

"One moment," The nurse says as she types out a few things, "Let me page the on call physician. He'll be able to get you guys filled in."

"Thank you," Sharon says. She walks back over to the boys, noticing that Charlie had joined them with his arm in a sling and a few cuts on his face and arms, "Charlie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, a small concussion, my shoulder's a little messed up, but otherwise fine," Charlie says, "How are Emily and Ricky?"

"The on call is supposed to come out and bring us up to speed," Sharon says before looking over at Andy, "Anything from traffic?"

"Halsey is supposed to call me back soon with some details. Little I could glean from the rook I was talking to was a drunk driver, blew through a red. They nailed the front passenger side of the car, car's probably totaled."

"God," Sharon says, starting to pace as they wait. After a few minutes a doctor comes out and calls out for Sharon.

"Mrs. Raydor?" Sharon pauses in her pacing and makes her way over to the doctor with all of the boys at her back.

"I'm Sharon Raydor," Sharon tells him. The doctor takes a look at the crowd and offers them a small smile, holding his hand out to lead them through the doors and back into the ER, "How are they doing?"

"Not awful, but not great," The doctor answers as he brings them to a quieter waiting area. Charlie, Gus, and Rusty take seats close to where Sharon and Andy remained standing, listening in as the doctor talks, "Both of them were brought in unconscious and are in surgery right now. Your son took the brunt of the impact in the accident, his shin suffered a compound fracture and he has a host of injuries to his rib cage. Primarily what we're fixing in the operating room at the moment is his leg, but we're keeping an eye out for anything else that may need attention."

"What about Emily?" Sharon asks with a shaky voice, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"There was significant damage to the knee area on her right leg and that's what we're working on repairing right now. Her wrist has a mild sprain…some bruising throughout her ribcage…nothing else too serious," The doctor continues to explain, occasionally referencing the chart in his hands, "As far as we can tell the fetus is doing fine. We have your daughter hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor while she's in surgery and the obstetrician will come down to take a more thorough exam once she's out."

"How long are they going to be in surgery?" Andy asks as he wraps his arm around Sharon. She drops her head into his shoulder and closes her eyes against the tears.

"It's going to be another hour at least. A nurse will come and get you once they're finishing up and can take you to their rooms," The doctor comments, "They're going to be okay. Once we're out of surgery we can assess where they're at completely and start making recovery plans, but they're going to be okay."

"Thanks doctor," Andy nods, shaking the doctor's hand before he leaves the waiting room. Andy guides Sharon into a seat across from the boys, sitting down next to her. He looks at Charlie as he rubs his hand along her back, "Did anyone call your sister?"

"I haven't," Charlie shakes his head, looking over at Rusty. Rusty shakes his head as well as he looks back at Andy.

"I didn't. I just called Mom," Rusty offers. Andy nods and looks over at Sharon.

"I'm gonna call her and see if she can come pick them up, let her know what's going on," He tells her. Sharon nods and sighs as she leans back in her chair, rubbing her hand over her face. Andy calls Nicole and tells her what was going on, asking if she could come pick Charlie, Rusty, and Gus up and take them to the house. Nicole arrives half an hour later and breezes into the waiting room in sweats with her hair bundled in a messy bun on top of her head.

"How are they doing?" Nicole asks Sharon and Andy as she hugs her brother.

"No changes, which is good. They're supposed to be out of surgery soon," Andy recounts, "Do you mind just taking them back to the house?"

"Not at all," Nicole says. The three boys get up out of their seats with groans, the stiffness from the accident starting to settle in. Sharon gets up and hugs each of them before kissing Rusty's cheek.

"I'll text you once their out of surgery and we know more. Get some sleep okay?"

"You sure you don't want us to stay?" Rusty asks.

"We'll be fine," Sharon assures him before thanking Nicole for giving them all a ride home. Once they're alone Sharon leans into Andy's side and lets out a pitiful whimper. Andy presses a kiss to her forehead and squeezes her close.

"They're gonna be okay," He murmurs, running his fingers through her hair.

"Someone hurt my babies, I want to kill them," Sharon whispers.

"I know, me too," Andy replies, continuing to run his fingers through her hair, occasionally pausing to massage her scalp. They sit in silence for a while longer before a nurse comes in, knocking gently on the doorway. Sharon pushes herself up from her chair quickly, looking at the nurse in anticipation.

"They're bringing them out of surgery right now. Doctor Barton made sure they'll be placed in recovery together," The nurse tells them, "They're doing well."

"Thank god," Sharon breathes, swallowing back another round of tears.

"I can take you to their room now," The nurse says with a warm smile. Andy gets up from his seat and puts his hand on Sharon's back, both of them following the nurse up a few floors to the recovery area. She leads them into a small private room and pulls back the curtain. Ricky was in the far bed, his leg propped up on a stack of pillows with support rods sticking out of it at various angles. His forearm on the same side was wrapped in layers of gauze and his face was cut up in a couple places with a few bruises already blooming.

Emily was in the bed closer to the door with her knee wrapped and in a stabilizer, propped up on a set of pillows as well. Her wrist was wrapped in a soft cast and Sharon could make out the lump of the fetal monitor underneath her gown. Sharon lets out a soft gasp as she walks into the room. She makes her way over to Ricky's bed, her hand reaching out and brushing his hair back from his face. She strokes her fingers down the side of his face and rests her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat underneath her palm. She leans down and presses her lips to his forehead, closing her eyes.

"Oh, my darling boy…" Sharon whispers. She spends a few moments at Ricky's bedside before moving over to Emily's. She runs her fingers through the messy brown locks splayed over the pillow, trying to straighten them. Her nose wrinkles as her fingers skim over dried blood, looking around the room for a moment. She sees a pitcher of water and grabs a paper towel, dunking it into the pitcher to wet it.

Pulling up a chair close to Emily's bed, she reaches out and runs the towel over the spot, slowly washing away the flecks left on Emily's skin and hair. Andy talks to the nurse for a few minutes before thanking her and walking over to Sharon, pulling the other chair up next to her.

"The doctor is going to be by here in a few minutes, but the nurse said they're doing good."

"Did you ever hear back from traffic?" Sharon asks as she tosses the paper towel in the trash before looking at Andy as she takes Emily's hand in hers. Her thumb begins to stroke back and forth across the girl's knuckles.

"Not yet," Andy says just as his phone starts to ring. He looks at the display and over at Sharon, "Speak of the devil. I'm going to take this okay?"

"Yeah," Sharon nods, the corners of her mouth lifting briefly. Andy gets up and steps out into the hall, answering his phone. He waves at the doctor as he comes by a moment later, focusing on the details about the accident that were being relayed to him.

Sharon moves to stand as the doctor comes in and he waves her off, pulling Andy's chair back a little bit before taking a seat across from her. She settles back in her seat, continuing her hold on Emily's hand as he relays both of their statuses in more detail than the doctor from the ER had earlier. Part of the way through both of them jump as they hear a loud thunk out in the hallway and Andy curse.

"Excuse me," Sharon says as she gets up from her seat to go check on her fiancé.

"Son of a bitch!" Andy yells. His fist connects with the stairwell door he was standing in front of again before he drops his head against the metal, his fingers still clenched together at his side as he growls into his phone, "He doesn't go in front of a judge tomorrow. I don't care what you have to do he doesn't go in front of a judge until I talk to the DA's office, got it?…Thanks for the information Hals."

"What is going on?" Sharon asks as she steps out into the hall, crossing her arms as she watches Andy fume, "What did Halsey say?"

"There's almost four million people in this city, four million people…and he's the one that hits them," Andy says, the fight starting to leave him. Sharon steps closer and puts her hand on his arm, pushing him back from the door and looking up into his eyes.

"Who?" Sharon asks. Andy sighs and looks away from Sharon, down at his feet as he stuffs his hands in his pocket.

"Jack. Jack was driving the other car," Andy replies, "He got picked up for a wet reckless in San Diego last month…a slap on the wrist…"

" _What?_ " Sharon says as shock settles on her face.

"He charmed them out of a ticket in San Diego so he didn't get in trouble and he put five of our kids in the hospital!" Andy rages, his anger rearing it's head again, "He could have…Halsey sent me a picture from the scene…they are _so_ lucky that a few broken bones is all they have."

* * *

[TBC]


	11. Chapter 11

**Note:** I'm glad everyone enjoyed the twist in the story, your reviews have been astounding and inspirational! Please keep the feedback coming :)

* * *

Sharon thanks the officer as he opens the door to the interview room. She'd clipped her badge onto her jeans that she'd thrown on in a haste the night before. The worn LAPD shirt she was wearing had been covered by a simple black cardigan and she'd clipped her mass of copper curls up in a messy twist. She subconsciously straightens her glasses, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she steps into the dingy interview room at county lockup.

Jack was seated on the other side of the table in an orange jumpsuit looking worse for wear. His eyes were bleary and bloodshot, rimmed with purpling bruises no doubt from the broken nose he was sporting as well. He'd been lucky to not sustain many injuries in the accident except for a busted up face. Even through all of the injuries to his face Sharon could tell he was beginning to crash.

Sharon takes a seat across from him, making sure to drag the metal chair across the floor and cause as much racket as possible. Jack winces and glares up at Sharon, before his eyes finally register her specific presence.

"What are you doing here?" Jack grumbles. His charm was no match for his hangover and most of the time left Jack in his most volatile state.

"Drunk driving, Jack?" Sharon replies, leveling him with a glare as she sets the folder in her hands on the table.

"I don't need the riot act, Sharon," Jack growls, "I'm hardly your problem anymore, as you so often like to remind me."

"But you see, Jack, you are my problem," Sharon replies with a venomously sweet tone, her eyes narrowing, "You're _my_ problem when _you_ drive drunk, and you hit my kids."

"What?" Jack says, his brow furrowing, "What are you talking about?"

"You hit my kids," Sharon says more deliberately. She leans forward and rests her hands on the table as she pushes her chair back, standing. She stares Jack down with a dark look as she flicks open the file, spilling out the contents in front of Jack. She'd filled the folder with pictures from the accident as well as copies of the x-rays from Ricky and Emily's injuries, "Emily was driving. Ricky, Rusty, Gus, and Charlie were all in that car. Emily and Ricky are laid up in hospital beds after _hours_ in surgery. Her car is totaled and her knee is torn to pieces. She's probably never going to dance again, at least not professionally. Ricky's leg is broken in three places. It's going to be months before he can walk on it again. And you are so, _so_ lucky that baby is okay..."

"Sharon, I..." Jack says as he looks at the pictures.

"I am going to make your life a living hell, Jackson Raydor," Sharon seethes, "You are done hurting them and everyone else that has ever given a crap about you over the years. Not that it's a jump for you but do not call them, do not try to see them, don't write them letters about your dismal jail cell. Just leave them alone!"

"They're adults, you can't tell them or me…"

"Well I'm damn sure going to try!" Sharon barks back, "You are done, Jack! You are going away, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you never see the light of day again. I sure hope your social security checks buy you enough cigarettes to keep your mouth empty."

Sharon pushes herself up and grabs the pictures off the table, stuffing them back into the folder. She turns on her heel and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She makes it most of the way down the hall before the folder falls from her shaking hand and she sinks against the wall. Tears flood her eyes as she covers her mouth with her hand.

"Ma'am?" The officer escorting her rushes forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. Sharon shakes her head and shakes him off, furiously wiping under her eyes as she straightens up.

"I'm fine," Sharon whispers, squatting down to pick up the folder before continuing on her way out of the jail. She briskly makes her way to her car, not pausing as she turns the engine over and pulls away, heading back to the hospital. Ricky and Emily had been moved to a regular room earlier in the morning once they'd woken up from the anesthetic.

She makes her way up to their room, putting her badge back in her purse along with the folder before her feet carry her down the hall. She steps into the quiet room, noting Andy passed out on the sofa snoring with Ricky asleep as well. Emily's eyes open when she hears the door and she smiles sleepily at her mother.

"Hey beautiful," Sharon smiles as she walks over to the bed, dropping her bag on the floor. She takes Emily's hand and sinks down into the chair that she'd left at her bedside earlier.

"Where'd you go?" Emily murmurs, her eyes starting to closed again.

"Just to take care of some work stuff," Sharon replies quietly, pressing a kiss to Emily's knuckles, "So I can be here with you guys."

"You didn't have to take off work…"

"Yes I did," Sharon says, reaching out to stroke Emily's hair from her face, "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy…my head hurts…"

"Rest baby," Sharon says, leaning over and running her fingers through Emily's hair, massaging her scalp soothingly, "All you gotta do is rest."

"Okay," Emily sighs, letting her eyes close all the way, drifting back off to sleep. Sharon continues to run her fingers through her hair for a while longer before getting up and moving over to Ricky's bed. He was twisted onto his side as much as possible, his nose wrinkled slightly in pain.

Sharon smiles as she watches him, remembering how much of his infancy she'd tried to get him to sleep on his back, but always woke up in the morning to find him on his side. She runs her fingers gently over his forehead as she sits, trying to gently rub away his discomfort. She sits quietly with both of them until Andy wakes up and shuffles over, resting his hand on her shoulder and leaning down to kiss her head.

"How are they doing?" Andy asks.

"Okay for right now."

"How did…"

"I lost it," Sharon says, looking up at him, "But I don't care. He almost took them away from me…"

"I know," Andy nods, kissing her head again. He takes the seat next to her and sighs as his hand rubs down her back, "You eat at all?"

"Not yet, you?"

"No. Why don't I call the rest of the kids and see if they want to come by and bring some breakfast with them?"

"I think that would be good," Sharon says, smiling tiredly, "Will you have Rusty bring some stuff for both of them? They're going to be here for a few days…"

"Yeah, of course," Andy nods. He sits with Sharon for a couple moments longer before getting up and heading out into the hallway. He calls Rusty and talks to him for a bit before calling Charlie and Nicole, updating them on the situation. After wrapping up his phone calls, Andy walks the length of the hallway a few times before going back into the room and resuming his seat between both beds, "Rusty and Gus are going to be here in about an hour. Charlie and Nicole might pop by at some point."

"How's Charlie doing?"

"Okay," Andy nods, "His shoulder is sore, he's sore, but he's doing okay."

"Good," Sharon says, looking back at Ricky and biting her lip as tears flood her eyes again. Andy reaches out and pulls her chair closer to his, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"They're gonna be okay, Sharon…and Jack's gonna go away for what he did. For a long, _long_ time…"

"I never thought I'd come this close to losing them," Sharon whispers as she leans into Andy.

"We never do," Andy says.

"What am I supposed to tell them?" Sharon asks, "You know they're going to ask about who did it. What we found out about the accident. How do I tell them that their father is the reason they're in here?"

"You tell them the truth, give them the facts. They're smart kids, you raised them well, they'll come to their own conclusions," Andy tells her as he rubs his hand up and down her arm, "It'll be okay."

Sharon sighs and nods, resting her head on Andy's shoulder. By later in the afternoon Ricky and Emily were more lucid, sitting up in their beds and picking at their hospital provided lunches. Emily sighs and drops her fork onto the tray and pushes it away slightly, curling her injured wrist back against her chest.

"Not hungry?" Sharon asks as she looks at the tray, noting that Emily hadn't eaten too much. Emily shakes her head slightly and sighs as she runs her fingers through her hair.

"Not really...Where's Andy?" Emily asks.

"He stepped out for a bit," Sharon replies shifting in her seat, "I think he was going to run by work and check in on Charlie."

"Did they find anything out? About the accident." Ricky pipes up, pushing his own lunch away, having eaten considerably more than his sister. Sharon looks across Emily's bed at her son and sighs as she straightens up, sitting forward a little bit.

"Ah, yeah. Andy has some connections in traffic. He called last night once we were on our way over here and got the run down," Sharon says, "The person who hit you was arrested at the scene. It was a drunk driver and he is currently sitting in County Jail, looking down the barrel of a long prison sentence."

"Who was it?" Emily asks, "I mean…It's not like we're going to know them, but…I don't know a name…someone to be mad at."

"You do know them," Sharon replies carefully, watching both of their faces as she braces herself, "It was your father…as statistically impossible as it sounds."

"What?" Ricky says as he pushes himself up further in his bed, his eyes widening.

"Your father was driving the car that hit you guys. He was almost three times the legal limit when they tested him at the jail almost four hours later…he had blacked out when he hit you," Sharon recounts to them, her voice getting thick, "About a month and a half ago he was pulled over in San Diego but he plead down to what they call a "wet reckless", it's…"

"It doesn't go on your record as a DUI and doesn't carry any of the penalties," Emily finishes in a small voice, "Except maybe a small fine."

"Right," Sharon nods.

"So he didn't get in trouble in LA and no one would know he was drinking again," Ricky says.

"Most likely," Sharon agrees, "I know that this is probably going to make things harder to deal with. But I'm here for you and he _is_ going go to jail for doing this to you guys…"

"How long?" Emily asks.

"How long?"

"How long will he go to jail for?" Emily reiterates.

"At a minimum…six years," Sharon answers, "The DA is going to take him for anything she can though."

"You called Andrea?" Emily says, her hand starting to rub back and forth across her stomach absentmindedly as her face contorting slightly in discomfort. Sharon nods as she looks at both of her children, trying to gauge their feelings.

"I did. I would have no matter who it had been," Sharon says, "There were five of you in that car, if it had been even a moment later…Who ever it was should be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

* * *

[TBC]


	12. Chapter 12

Emily and Ricky spent four days in the hospital before they were sent home to continue their recuperation. After an extensive argument, mostly by Sharon, Ricky had agreed to spend the next few weeks in LA until he was well enough to go back to the Bay Area and capable of being on his own. His larger external fixture had been traded out for a more compact one once he was able to see the head of orthopedics and both of them had been outfitted with pairs of crutches.

Sharon sighs and puts her hands on her hips after she and Andy get both of them settled on the couch, their injured limbs propped up appropriately. Emily groans as she settles a pillow behind her back, leaning into the corner of the couch.

"Okay. I am going to go pick up your prescriptions, run to the store, and I need to get you some clothes," Sharon says as she points at Ricky, "Andy is going to start some laundry, and call in a take out order for dinner in…an hour for me to pick up on the way home. Where ever you guys want. And then I am going to probably collapse into bed."

"Mom you don't have to do all of that," Emily says.

"Yes, I do," Sharon sighs, "Anything you guys want from the store?"

"Snacks?" Ricky shrugs.

"Will you pick up some movies?" Emily requests with a sweet smile.

"Of course, honey," Sharon leans down and presses a kiss to Emily's head and then Ricky's before grabbing the car keys again, "I will be back."

"Thanks, Mom!" Both of them call out as Sharon breezes out the door, slinging her purse over her shoulder. Andy sighs and grabs both of their hospital bags, ready to head down the hall to the laundry.

"You guys need anything before I get started on this?"

"I think we're okay," Ricky says, looking over the couch and smiling at Andy, "Thanks."

"Yell if you need anything," Andy reminds them before heading down the hallway, tossing the bags into the laundry room before going to grab his and Sharon's hamper from their room. He gets a load started before starting to sort out the rest, making a couple piles of different things. He takes the bags and deposits them in their respective rooms before heading back towards the living room. He detours into the kitchen and grabs three waters before bringing them to Emily and Ricky. He hands one to each of them, sinking down into his recliner with his own, "What are you guys watching?"

"I don't know, something Emily picked," Ricky comments, thanking Andy for the water before taking a drink.

"Twilight Zone," Emily says, not looking away from the tv. She winces and shifts her posture, rubbing the top of her stomach, "Ow."

"You okay?" Andy says, sitting up a little straighter. Emily nods and sighs as she relaxes again.

"Yeah, she sometimes gets me in one of my ribs and it hurts."

"Oh okay," Andy sighs, relaxing back into his seat. The three of them sit quietly watching tv for a while with Andy getting up to change laundry as needed before his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and reads Sharon's text message before putting it away, "Your mom is going to be on her way home soon, what do you guys want for dinner?"

"I don't care," Ricky shrugs, "I'll eat anything, Em?"

"Me either," Emily shrugs, looking over at Andy, "Why don't we just get whatever Mom's favorite is? She's been going ragged the last few days. I feel bad."

"Okay," Andy nods, surprised, "Let me go grab the menu."

Andy gets up from the recliner and heads into the kitchen, sorting through their menu selection before bringing the menu for a Thai restaurant out to the kids, "Here this is the place she likes."

"Perfect," Emily says, taking the menu from Andy. She scans through it a couple times before telling him what she wanted as she hands it to her brother. Ricky gives Andy his order after a moment before handing the menu back to Andy.

"My wallet is in my bag if you want to grab my card out of it," Ricky offers.

"It's fine I've got it," Andy waves him off as he picks up the house phone.

"Andy come on, let me get dinner, Mom's probably out there buying me a new lazy wardrobe and a crap ton of groceries."

"Rick, really you don't..."

"Andy," Emily pipes up, "Come on. Let us get something."

"Alright, alright," Andy puts his hands up with a grin, "Thank you. We appreciate it."

"You're welcome, thank you for everything you've been doing for us," Ricky says, "Just grab the Visa."

Andy heads down the hall to Ricky's room (or their last open guest room) as he begins to call the order in. He rifles through Ricky's bag as he talks, finding his wallet and pulling the Visa out after sorting through a few cards. He reads off the number to the restaurant, confirming that it would be ready soon before hanging up and calling Sharon as he puts everything back.

"Hello?"

"Hey I just called dinner in at the Thai place, they said it would be about twenty minutes."

"Oh that sounds good," Sharon hums as she opens the back door to the car, putting all of the bags she'd been carrying inside, "I'm just leaving the store right now, I'll swing by and pick that up and then I'll be home."

"Sounds good, I love you...you're amazing you know that?"

"Hardly," Sharon says as she leans against the car with a small smile, "How are they doing?"

"They're pretty docile right now," Andy jokes, "They're just hanging out in the living room and watching Twilight Zone reruns. And apparently you need to have a conversation with your granddaughter about kicking her mother in the ribs."

"Oh do I?"

"Mmhm," Andy nods with a smile. Sharon laughs and shakes her head, looking at her watch.

"I'm going to get going, I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too," Andy hangs up the phone and heads into the laundry room to grab the load out of the dryer, carrying the basket to the living room. He pauses in the hallway as he hears Ricky and Emily talking to each other.

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Ricky asks.

"I don't care," Emily replies, her tone sightly petulant and exasperated, "He almost killed us, Ricky. I could have lost the baby…I'm so tired of being hurt."

"You think Mom went?"

"You remember that one fight they had when we were little?" Emily asks, "Dad left us alone for the afternoon to go do something. I was probably seven or eight and Mom came home from work and I think I was feeding you gummy bears and cheese for dinner…"

"Vaguely," Ricky says, "Why?"

"After we went to bed that night…I'd never heard Mom yell like that," Emily chuckles, "Mom never yelled…she still doesn't. But when it comes to her kids getting hurt or being in danger, she's going to yell, and she's going to be heard. His ears are probably still ringing."

"Is that why we never had candy in the house?" Ricky jokes. Emily laughs and shakes her head. Andy makes his way out of his hiding spot, making a little more noise.

"Hey, your mom's on her way home," Andy says as he sits down with the laundry, starting to fold.

"Awesome," Ricky says as he leans forward to grab his crutches, "I am going to hobble my way to the bathroom, and I should be back by the time she gets home."

"You're so funny," Emily teases him, pushing on his back to help him up. Ricky laughs and rights himself before hobbling down the hallway. Emily shuffles over to Ricky's side of the couch and grabs a shirt out of the basket, starting to help Andy fold, "So how hard do you think it is to pee standing up on crutches?"

Andy lets out a laugh and shakes his head, looking over at Emily with a grin, "Probably pretty rough."

"Probably," Emily grins before her face becomes more serious, "Thank you for being there for her…and for us I suppose, but mostly for her. She hasn't had anyone to lean on for a long time."

"I know and I think she's still fighting it a little bit," Andy says, "But I'm always going to be there for her, and for you guys."

"Good," Emily smiles. She helps Andy finish folding the rest of the load before handing him the small stack she'd made. Andy thanks her before getting up and taking the laundry to put it away. By the time he makes it back to the living room, following Ricky down the hallway, Sharon was coming in through the garage, her arms laden with multiple bags. She sets their takeout on the kitchen counter, smiling at Andy and Ricky as they come into the kitchen.

"Hey," Sharon says as she leans up and kisses Andy, "Would you mind getting the groceries out of the trunk?"

"Not a problem," Andy smiles, heading into he garage. Sharon sets down a few bags from a clothing store on the kitchen table.

"I got you some sweats and t-shirts, few pairs of underwear and some sandals…figure that should get you through the next couple weeks," Sharon describes.

"Thanks, Mama," Ricky says, kissing Sharon on the head before starting to poke through the takeout.

"Hey!" Sharon exclaims, "Go sit down, I'll bring you guys your food in a second."

"Okay, okay," Ricky grins, winking at his mom before heading back into the living room and propping his leg up. Andy brings in the groceries from the car, kicking the door to the garage closed as he carries everything into the kitchen, setting the bags down on the floor.

"Geeze, Shar. Leave anything on the shelf?"

"Cleaned the place out," Sharon smiles as she grabs a couple forks before taking Ricky and Emily their food, "Please try not to make a mess."

"Mom we're not five anymore," Ricky protests playfully as he opens his container. Sharon rolls her eyes and carries his new clothes down to the laundry room, puling off all of the tags and stickers before adding it to the couple loads Andy had left. She goes back to the kitchen, sighing happily when she sees Andy folding up their grocery bags, having put everything away.

"You're lovely you know that?" Sharon whispers as she wraps her arms around his waist, hugging him close. Andy wraps his arms around her and tangles his fingers in her hair, hugging her close.

"How you doing beautiful?"

"I'm tired," Sharon murmurs into his chest as his fingers work over her scalp, "But they're home."

"They are. So why don't you grab your dinner and go sit with them, watch something awful on tv, and I'll finish the cleaning."

"You sure?"

"I am," Andy nods, letting her go.

"Thank you," Sharon says, pulling back and kissing him again. She runs her fingers over his cheek and smiles at him before grabbing her food. She pulls a fork from the drawer and goes into the living room to join the kids. Andy keeps up on the laundry, interspersing it with cleaning and cutting up some of the produce Sharon had bought and putting the dishes from the dishwasher away. He looks up as Ricky lumbers in later in the evening with a yawn.

"I'm heading to bed."

"Okay, you need anything?"

"Nah, I'll be fine," Ricky says, shaking his head, "Mom and Emily went to lay down a bit ago, I'm sure they're both probably asleep by now."

"I'll look in on them," Andy says, "I put the clothes your mom got you and your prescriptions on the dresser in the bedroom."

"Thanks," Ricky smiles, "Night."

"Night," Andy replies. Ricky hobbles down the hallway and Andy sighs as he walks around, making sure the house was locked up before heading down the hall himself. He knocks softly on Emily's door and pokes his head in, finding both girls fast asleep with the tv on. Emily was curled up on her side, with her head resting on Sharon's shoulder and Sharon had her arm around her, her free hand resting on her belly. Andy steps into the room, turning off the tv and the lights before draping a blanket over both of them. He presses a kiss to Sharon's forehead before leaving, shutting the door quietly behind himself.

* * *

[TBC]


	13. Chapter 13

**Note:** Thanks for such positive responses as we've continued on this trek, this is a bit of a long chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Sharon hums as Andy shakes her shoulder gently, her head lifting up from her pillow as she opens her eyes slightly with a yawn. She was surprised to see him sitting on her side of the bed, already dressed and ready to go for the day.

"Where you going?" Sharon murmurs as she drops her head back down, her hand reaching out to rest on his leg.

"I'm taking Ricky to the airport, I thought you'd want to say goodbye before we left," Andy says, his hand resting on her hip. Sharon's head snaps up and she reaches out to grab her alarm clock, holding it at a distance that she could make out the numbers.

"Oh my god, Andy I was supposed to be up hours ago!" Sharon says, putting the clock back before starting to scramble out of bed. Andy pushes her back down and pins her with a firm look.

"You have been running yourself ragged the last few weeks. I am going to take Ricky to the airport and drop Emily off at her doctor appointment. Rusty is going to pick her up and they're going to have lunch and see a movie. _You_ are going to take a long bubble bath with the things I have laid out for you in the bathroom. I will be back in about an hour or so with breakfast, and you're going to have a long lazy day that you have earned," Andy says, "So why don't you come say goodbye to Ricky, and then you're getting in the bathtub."

"Fine," Sharon sighs as she sinks back down into the bed for a moment as Andy gets up. She pushes herself up and swings her legs over the edge of the bed. She stands up and Andy holds out her robe for her. Sharon shrugs on the plush material and ties the sash, raking her fingers through her hair. The two of them walk out to the living room where Ricky and Emily were waiting. Ricky straightens up as his mother comes in, opening his arms to her, "Oh...I can't believe you're going home already. You have someone to pick you up when you get home?"

"Yeah," Ricky nods as he wraps Sharon up in a hug, "Mark is meeting me at the airport and giving me a ride home. I'm having groceries delivered later this afternoon, and I have an appointment with the doctor later this week."

"Okay, keep me in the loop with how things are going, alright?" Sharon asks as she pulls back from Ricky's hold, cupping his face in her hands. Ricky nods and smiles.

"I will, promise."

"And you already had Dr. Samuels fax your records over to your new doctor right?"

"Yes," Ricky nods again, "And I even have a printed out copy incase he didn't get them."

"And you'll call me when you land?"

"I'll text you," Ricky bargains with a smile, his cheeks bunching up in his mother's palms. Sharon sighs and leans up pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you. Be safe."

"I will," Ricky assures her. Sharon gives him another tight hug before letting him go. She looks over at Emily and raises her eyebrows.

"Make sure he gets off okay? And let me know how your appointment goes?"

"I will," Emily smiles and nods, straightening up her hand absentmindedly running over her stomach. Sharon kisses her cheek before leaning up and kissing Andy.

"I'll call after I drop them off and I'm on my way back, okay?" Andy says, resting his hand on her waist. Sharon nods and smiles, kissing him once more.

"Thank you, drive safe."

"I will, love you."

"Love you too," Sharon says, waiting for the three of them to be off before heading back down the hallway to the master bath. She smiles when she sees Andy had set out her favorite bath items along with setting up the iPod in their bathroom speakers, and putting a 'Play Me' sticky note on it. She sits on the edge of the tub and plugs the drain before sprinkling a few things into the bottom of the tub and turning the water on. As the water runs she gets up and grabs a few things out of her bathroom drawer before turning on the music and disrobing.

Sharon clips her hair up and away from her face and neck before sinking down into the hot water and turning off the tap. She sinks down to her chin and sighs as she tips her head back against the towel stacked there, closing her eyes. She soaks in the jasmine scented water for a while until it starts to cool, leaning forward to pull the drain and add more hot water.

Once the water warms up enough Sharon plugs the drain and turns the water off again. She grabs the tube of face mask she had grabbed earlier and squeezes a dollop into her hand before applying it evenly over her face. She rubs her hands off in the water and rolls her neck softly. She grabs an exfoliating scrub and a loofah, scooping out a generous amount before starting to rub down her legs. Slowly working through exfoliating her legs and arms Sharon takes a breath before slipping under the surface of the water and rubbing everything off.

Sharon resurfaces and brushes her hair from her face, standing and leaning down to unplug the tub to drain before turning the shower on. She washes her hair quickly before turning the water off and stepping out, wrapping herself back into her robe. She grabs a wide tooth comb from her vanity and starts to run it through her wet locks, untangling everything. Her fingers weave her hair into a braid easily and she turns the music off, heading out into the bathroom and almost running into Andy's chest.

"Oh!" Sharon exclaims, jumping back slightly. Andy chuckles and wraps his arm around her waist.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I tried calling but your phone is out in the living room."

"That's okay," Sharon says, laughing softly.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen," Andy says as his fingers massage her hip, "Did you have a nice bath?"

"I did," Sharon nods, stepping in closer to him and wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder, "Thank you for putting all of that together."

"You're welcome, you smell heavenly," Andy murmurs as he presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"Mmm, I feel heavenly," Sharon replies, "Kids get off okay?"

"They did," Andy says, squeezing her close before letting her go. Sharon presses a kiss to his lips and smiles before heading out to the kitchen with him. The two of them eat breakfast together before Sharon excuses herself to get dressed, dressing in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. She makes her way back out to the living area and heads to the garage where she hears Andy rustling around.

"What are you doing out there?" Sharon says as she stands in the doorway.

"Grabbing the crib," Andy says as he picks up the small cradle sitting in the corner of the garage under a tarp. He carries it inside and sets it down in the kitchen before going back out and grabbing the matching mattress and a medium sized cardboard box. He sets the box on the table before leaning the mattress up against one of the chairs, "I picked up one of those giant gift bags on the way home. Figured we could get this wrapped up today."

"Andy, this looks lovely," Sharon says as her fingers stroke over the grey and white crib, smiling at her fiancé.

"Yeah? You think it turned out okay?" Andy asks as he unwraps the mattress.

"It's perfect, Emily's going to love it," Sharon assures him, opening the box on the table. She pulls out a stack of fitted sheets and takes a deep breath of the top bundle of fabric, "Did you wash these?"

"Yeah when I did sheets the other day," Andy nods. Sharon unpacks the mattress cover and hands it over to Andy. He takes the cover from her and puts it on the mattress before she hands him a white fitted sheet that was dotted with lilac colored elephants. He puts the sheet on the mattress before putting it into the cradle.

Sharon stacks the rest of the fitted sheets inside before emptying the box and pulling out the quilt that her mother had made. She flips the quilt out to unfold it and holds it up as she looks at it, letting out a happy sigh.

"I love this," Sharon comments as she looks at the quilt. Her mother had patchworked a variety of grey and white patterned squares together on the front before attaching it to a soft microfiber grey backing. She turns it around to show to Andy with a smile, "Isn't it cute?"

"It is, your mom did a good job," Andy nods in agreement.

"She made both of them blankets when they were born," Sharon says as she folds the blanket up, "I think they still have them. Rusty got a full sized blanket though, when I adopted him."

"Do I get a blanket?" Andy teases as she drapes the blanket over the side of the cradle.

"Mmm, maybe once you make an honest woman out of me," Sharon laughs and presses a kiss to his lips. Andy grins and grabs the gift bag he had gotten earlier in the morning. He opens the package and shakes out the bag before standing next to Sharon as he looks at the cradle.

"So...do we put it _in_ the bag or just put the bag over it?" Andy asks.

"I think we can just put the bag over it and stick it in the living room until tomorrow," Sharon suggests. Andy nods and puts the bag over the top of the cradle before carrying it into the living room and setting it next to the couple gifts that Ricky had left behind for his sister's baby shower the next day. He straightens out the bag and makes sure everything is covered before Sharon comes in with a bow and hands it over. Andy pulls the sticker on the back off and plops it on the top of it with a smile.

"My best wrapping job yet," Andy says, puffing his chest out. Sharon laughs and wraps her arm around his waist, hugging him close.

"Thank you for getting the cradle cleaned up and put together," Sharon compliments, "It looks amazing, and Emily is going to love it."

"You are very welcome," Andy says as his hand rubs up and down her back. Sharon sighs softly and drops her head back to his shoulder.

"What else is on the plan for today?" Sharon asks.

"Movie?" Andy suggests, "Maybe snuggle up in bed?"

"I think that sounds lovely," Sharon hums, leaning up to press a kiss to Andy's jaw, "You want to pick something out?"

"Sure," Andy nods, stepping away from her to go peruse their DVD collection. Sharon moves into the kitchen and puts the box in the recycling before cleaning up their breakfast dishes quickly. She grabs a glass of water before moving down the hallway to the bedroom, sighing as she climbs into bed and stretches out on her side, yawning. She pulls the hairtie off the bottom of her braid and runs her fingers through her hair, working the plaits free before shaking everything out.

Andy lumbers into the room and puts a movie into the DVD player before getting everything set up and climbing into his side of the bed. Sharon snuggles up to his side and rests her head on his shoulder as her hand lays over his heart. His arm wraps around her and holds her hip as he hits play.

Sharon finds herself asleep again less than half an hour into the meeting, snoring away softly on Andy's shoulder. He presses a kiss to her head and shuffles a little further down on the bed, pulling their blankets up and over her. He continues to lay next to her as he keeps on with the movie, eventually dozing off himself.

The two of them nap for a few hours before Andy wakes up when Sharon stretches out next to him. She gives him a sleepy smile as she tries to smooth down his hair, "Hi there."

"Hi, good nap?" Andy murmurs.

"Mmmm, you?"

"Mmhm," Andy nods, yawning softly before leaning over and giving her a small kiss, "Lovely nap."

"Good idea, Lieutenant," Sharon says, stretching out again before shuffling out from under the blankets and heading into the bathroom, "What movie were Emily and Rusty going to?"

"Some zombie thing," Andy calls back as he gets out of bed, running his hand through his hair. Sharon comes out a moment later, clipping her hair up and heading down to the kitchen, jumping as she almost runs into Emily.

"Sorry!" Emily says, smiling sheepishly, "I didn't know you guys were up."

"It's okay, that's the second time I've done that today," Sharon laughs.

"Good nap?" Emily asks, letting her mother into the kitchen, lingering near the breakfast bar.

"Ah yeah, definitely needed it. Is Rusty home?"

"He'll be back soon, he had to go pick up some things from Gus' but then he was going to be home for the evening," Emily tells her, taking a sip of the soda in her hand.

"How was your appointment?" Sharon asks as she opens the fridge and pulls out a handful of grapes.

"It was good," Emily nods with a smile, "Doctor says that my knee is doing good, they're altering my PT a little bit and cutting back on the in-office sessions. Next time I go they'll give me some stuff that I can do at home."

"That's great," Sharon smiles as she leans against the counter, "What do they think about you trying dancing?"

"We've agreed to wait until after the baby gets here, I'll do a few weeks of physical therapy and then the company has a few tests they want to put me through," Emily sighs, threading her fingers together around the soda can, "It's looking up, but I could still not be able to dance..."

"I'm sure it will work out," Sharon assures her daughter, "You've been doing well."

"We'll see," Emily shrugs.

"How did the OBGYN go?"

"Good," Emily perks up a bit, "She's still doing great, we're both gaining weight on schedule. Doctor's happy with how she's positioned. Everything is looking good."

"Great," Sharon smiles, "She's ready for her baby shower tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, she was kicking through the whole movie...probably because of all the sugar I was feeding her," Emily laughs pushing herself up from her position, "Come check out what I ordered."

"What?" Sharon asks as she pops a grape in her mouth, following Emily into the living room, noticing a turquoise bean shaped stool in the middle of the floor, "What is that?"

"This really awesome birthing stool I tried out at the doctor's office," Emily says as she squats down and sits on it, "It's been backordered for a while and it finally got here today."

"A birthing stool?" Sharon arches her eyebrow leaning against the back of the couch.

"Yeah," Emily grins, "It's really cool. They designed it to support the mom and a partner, it can be used in the bath, rocks back and forth so I can stretch with it, ergonomically designed to fit comfortably between my legs. It's awesome."

"But…a birthing stool?" Sharon reiterates.

"Mom, it can hardly surprise you that I'd like to try a more natural birth," Emily says as she leans back a bit, stretching her legs out, "Besides it's a good thing I got this, it'll be easier on my knee. I won't be putting a bunch of weight on it or tugging it in a weird direction."

"I just didn't realize you'd put so much thought into this."

"Of course I've thought about it. I'm not naive, I don't think she's just magically going to appear here," Emily says her hands smoothing over her belly, "And as California crunchy as it sounds, it's an experience, and I _want_ to experience it. And who knows. Depending on how things go in a few weeks maybe we do this again in a few years."

"Again?"

"Yeah," Emily shrugs with a smile, "As much as I hated the _idea_ of Ricky when I was little, I have to admit it was pretty nice when he got here. I'd want her to have someone like that."

"I think that'd be great," Sharon smiles.

"You know I want you there with me right?" Emily asks Sharon, tilting her head to the side.

"With you…at the hospital?" Sharon clarifies, "When you have the baby?"

"Yes," Emily nods, "In the room. If you're comfortable with it, I mean, I know it's a lot. But I would _really_ like to have you there."

"Of course I'll be there," Sharon says coming around the couch to stand in front of Emily, "I'd love to be there for you, I wouldn't miss it. I'm honored that you would ask me to be there."

"Really?" Emily asks looking up at her mother, "I wouldn't be offended if you said no."

"I really, really want to be there," Sharon assures her, "I do."

"Great," Emily grins, holding her hands up, "Help me up?"

Sharon laughs and takes Emily's hands, helping her up. She wraps her arms around her daughter and hugs her close, pressing a kiss to her head.

"Oh, I love you, and I am so excited for you."

* * *

[TBC]


	14. Chapter 14

**Note:** Thanks again for all of the reviews on this story! Please keep them coming. I'm rotating through writing chapters for the three stories I have active right now, so updates might not be as frequent as they have been but they will keep coming every couple days. So please bear with me!

* * *

Sharon runs her hand up Andy's back as he finishes setting out snacks and filling the coolers with ice, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you for all of your help setting up, and for yesterday, and a lot of things that you've done over the last few weeks to keep me sane," She says with a soft smile, "I am feeling much more rested."

"I'm glad," Andy smiles, leaning down to kiss Sharon. She hums and smiles against his lips before pulling back as she hears the front door open and close in the house.

"That'll be Emily."

"Anything else that needs to be put out?"

"Nope, this looks great," Sharon smiles before heading inside, meeting her daughter at the door as she hangs up her purse and jacket, "Hey, how was your pedicure?"

"I still have dancer feet," Emily grins and laughs as she steps further into the house, "This looks adorable! You and Andy did all this?"

"Andy took care of most of it," Sharon admits.

"Is he out back?"

"Mmhm," Sharon nods with a smile as the doorbell rings, "Go. I'll take care of letting people in."

"Okay," Emily says, heading out to the back yard as Sharon answers the door. She continues to let people in and float around the shower in hostess mode for a short while before she moves into the back yard to join the party. Andy hands over a cup of punch and she thanks him before taking a sip and clearing her throat to get peoples attention.

"Before we get started with the festivities this afternoon, I wanted to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Emily and her soon to be arriving little girl. Emily, I am so excited for what lies ahead of you. You are an exceptional young woman. You're an amazing daughter, sister, friend, dancer…and you're going to be a great mother. And I can't wait to meet my granddaughter in a few weeks!" Sharon exclaims with a smile. Everyone laughs and applauds at Sharon's speech. Emily smiles and mouths a thank you at her mother before Marnie takes over and begins to marshal the party. Andy smiles and wraps his arm around Sharon's waist.

"That was nice."

"It's true," Sharon smiles as she settles into his side, "She's amazing."

"You did a great job with her," Andy compliments, "Both of them. They have good heads on their shoulders."

"Thank you," Sharon smiles and kisses Andy before making her way over to a lounger with him and sitting down. The two of them sit by the pool, drinking and snacking, occasionally mingling with people as they make their way over. After the group plays a few games everyone makes their way into the living room to open presents. Sharon grabs a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen, sitting on the footstool next to the chair that Emily had taken up residence in. Sharon notes who had brought the gifts and what they had bought as Emily opens everything up, looking up at Andy as she opens up the car seat that Ricky had gotten his sister, "Remember when we didn't even have carseats when we were kids?"

"Yeah," Andy laughs and nods. Sharon grins and marks the carseat down before Emily pushes herself up and walking over to Sharon and Andy's gift.

"What is it?" Emily asks as she plucks the card off the top.

"You'll have to open it to find out," Sharon says as she turns, resting her chin on her hand as she watches her.

"The card's from me," Andy says. Sharon arches her eyebrow at him and he smiles back at her, "What?"

"Secret presents, Andy?"

"Mmhm," Andy nods. Sharon turns her eyes back to Emily. She runs her finger under the flap, prying the envelope open before pulling the card out. She reads the front and inside to herself before unfolding the piece of paper inside.

"Andy…you didn't have to do this," Emily says as she looks up from the card.

"In a couple months you'll be saying otherwise," Andy says.

"What is it?" Sharon asks, arching her eyebrow in confusion.

"It is a spa day for you and I on my birthday. And a lovely coupon for babysitting services that day," Emily says, handing the card and paper over to her mom, "Thank you, Andy."

"You're welcome," Andy says, resting his hand on Sharon's shoulder and squeezing softly. She reaches up and covers his hand, looking up at him with an adoring smile. Emily grabs the bag, pulling it up and off of the cradle, discarding it to the side.

"Oh my god," Emily says her hand flying to her mouth as she looks at the cradle and all of the contents, "Is this…"

"Yours and Ricky's cradle from when you were babies," Sharon says, "I found it in the storage unit when we went to take some of your stuff over. Andy sanded the whole thing down and refinished it for you. And Nana sent over the blanket. She said her and Grandpa will come visit after the baby gets here."

"Mom…I…It's absolutely perfect. Thank you, so much," Emily says, picking up the blanket before leafing through the sheet sets, "This is all…it's great. She's going to love it. _I_ love it."

"I'm glad," Sharon smiles. Emily sets the blanket back down in the cradle before walking over and wrapping Andy in a hug. She lets him go and holds her arms out to Sharon hugging her mom tight.

"Thank you so much…for everything you've done. Both of you," Emily whispers.

"We will always be there for you, baby," Sharon says as she rubs Emily's back before letting her go, pressing a soft kiss to her head, "Both of you."

"Thanks," Emily smiles, laughing softly as she wipes a tear from her cheek before turning to her guests, "Thank you, everyone, for coming today and helping me celebrate. It really, really makes my heart want to burst to see how much love and support my daughter, wow it feels weird saying that, already has in her life. And I can't wait for you all to meet her when she gets here. Only six more weeks now!"

Later in the evening as they pick up from the party, Emily sighs as she stacks gifts back into bags to carry to her room.

"You know, I didn't think this would amount to so much when I was registering for all this stuff," She tells Sharon as her mother bags up excess wrapping paper and trash.

"Babies need a lot of things," Sharon says as she ties up the trash bag and leans against the arm of the couch, "Though you did get a fair amount of clothes for her."

"I know aren't they cute?" Emily asks as she holds up a dress, "They're so tiny."

"I know," Sharon smiles, "Why don't you put all of the clothes in the laundry room? I can make sure they get washed the next time I do a load."

"Sure," Emily nods, piling all of the clothes into one of the larger gift bags.

"Is there anything that you didn't get today that you need right away?"

"I don't think so," Emily says as she pushes herself up off the couch, taking a moment to gain her balance before picking up a couple bags, "I think I have enough to get started and we can go from there."

"Okay," Sharon nods, "I am going to take the trash out and get dinner started, yell if you need anything."

"Sure," Emily nods as she carries stuff back to her room. She gets everything put onto the bed before starting to go through it and organize. After a while Andy knocks on the door and carries the cradle in.

"Special delivery."

"Thanks for bringing that back," Emily smiles, shutting the drawer to her dresser she'd been putting some things away in, "I think that can go on the other side of the bed for now."

"Sure," Andy says, carrying it around the bed before situating it next to the headboard. He takes the sheets out and hands them over to Emily. She tucks them into the bottom drawer of the dresser before starting to fold up the empty gift bags.

"Thanks again for the spa day and taking the time to refinish the crib…I know it had to be a lot of work."

"It was nothing," Andy shrugs her off with a smile, "I like doing that kind of stuff. Besides it made you happy, it made your mom happy. It was worth it."

"I can't believe she's going to be here so soon, you know?" Emily says, leaning her hip against the dresser, "I mean it just seems like the other day I was freaking out about telling Mom. And now I look like a blimp and I'm organizing burp rags."

"You look great," Andy says, "And the first one is always the hardest to be prepared for. Even with a lot of helping hands. But you'll do fine. You've got this."

"Thanks, Andy."

"You're welcome," Andy smiles, "Dinner's almost done if you want to wash up."

"I'll be out in a couple minutes," Emily replies. Andy nods and heads out of the room, closing the door most of the way behind him. Emily sighs and looks around her bedroom, taking in all of the baby things that had sprouted up over the last few months.

"Only six more weeks…and then I just have to try not to screw you up over the next eighteen years."

* * *

[TBC]


	15. Chapter 15

Sharon sighs as she squats down next to the body, reaching out with a gloved hand to lift the sheet that was covering it as Andy talks to her.

"Female victim, found around 11:30 this morning by the jogger over there," Andy points to the woman jogger talking to Amy and Julio, "Initial patrol response found some blood trail leading to the parking lot over there, and fresh tire treads leading back down to the valley. They pulled the victims ID and we were rolled out."

"Who is she?" Sharon asks as she looks at the blonde's face.

"Kary Karstens...up and coming teen superstar," Andy says handing over her wallet to Sharon, "She's got a supporting roll on a tv show on one of the networks. Has a big following."

"Okay," Sharon sighs putting the sheet back before taking the wallet from Andy as she stands up, looking at the girl's picture for a moment before handing it back, "Where's Kendall?"

"He's a little backed up, should be here in about half an hour," Andy says as he looks at his watch.

"When he gets here let's make sure we get Ms. Karstens out of here and to the morgue," Sharon says as she looks at Andy across the body, opening her mouth to continue talking but pausing as her phone starts to ring. She pulls it out and starts pulling off one glove as she sees Emily's face pop up on the screen, "One second, it's Emily."

"Sure," Andy nods, going to talk to the rest of their team mates. Sharon steps off to the side, standing at the outlook they had been called out to, swiping her thumb across the screen. She lifts the phone to her ear and greets her daughter.

"Hey, honey," Sharon murmurs, "What's up?"

"You aren't busy are you?" Emily asks.

"Ah, we just got to a scene about half an hour ago," Sharon says as a breeze comes along, her hair fluttering in the wind. Her brow furrows in concern as she hears Emily curse under her breath, "Em?"

"Um, so my water just broke a few minutes ago," Emily tells her, "And I don't...I mean you're at work. Should I call an ambulance? Should I call Rusty?"

"Oh!" Sharon says, turning on her heel. She wedges the phone to her shoulder as she moves to take off her other glove as she heads towards Andy, "You're at home?"

"Yeah, I just got out of the shower. Suppose we're lucky I didn't ruin the carpet," Emily lets out a tight laugh.

"Why don't you get dressed? I'm about twenty minutes away from the house, I'll come pick you up," Sharon says as she taps Andy on the shoulder, "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine it's not that bad," Emily assures her.

"Okay, call the doctor and let her know we'll be there soon. I'm leaving here as soon as I talk to the guys."

"Thanks Mom."

"Call if anything changes," Sharon says before hanging up. She stuffs her phone into her pocket before putting her gloves into an evidence bag as she talks to Andy, "I've got to get going, Emily said her water just broke. Text me with updates and call if you need anything?"

"Yeah, do you need me to do anything?"

"No," Sharon shakes her head, "I'm going to pick her up and take her to Cedars. I'll call or text you if anything changes…oh actually, will you let Ricky and Rusty know what's up?"

"Yeah," Andy nods, leaning down to kiss Sharon, "Tell Em good luck."

"I will," Sharon smiles before heading over to her car, her footsteps picking up as she clears the edge of the scene. She makes her way through the streets of LA, glad to not hit any traffic jams as her fingers tap nervously against the steering wheel. She pulls into the driveway of the house a little over twenty minutes later and makes her way inside, leaving the front door open, "Emily!"

"Living room," Emily responds. Sharon turns the corner into the living room finding Emily sitting on her birthing stool next to the couch, leaning forward on her elbows with a pained look on her face.

"Hey honey…how are you doing?" Sharon says as she walks over, holding her hands out to Emily to help her up.

"Okay," Emily nods, letting out a slow breath before taking her mother's hands to pull herself up, "The contractions are about five minutes apart or so. Not too bad."

"The car is unlocked, I'll grab the carseat and the rest of the stuff."

"Thanks," Emily hums as she waddles her way out to the car. Sharon grabs the carseat and duffle bag next to the door before picking up the stool from the living room. She carries everything out to the car, stuffing it into the backseat before jogging back up to the front door to lock up the house. She climbs into the car and turns the engine back over, backing down the driveway.

Emily reaches over and latches onto her hand as she lets out a whimper. Sharon shifts her grip on Emily's hand and strokes her thumb over the back of it. She turns and starts to drive down the street, navigating out of the neighborhood.

"Don't forget to breathe," Sharon reminds as she looks over and notices Emily holding her breath. Emily nods and lets out a long breath, sucking it back in easily.

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Emily laughs as she lets go of her mother's hand.

"About having a baby, little bit," Sharon smiles. Soon they pull into the hospital and Sharon grabs their things before helping Emily inside. They check in at the front desk and a nurse brings around a wheelchair, both of them helping Emily sit down.

"Doctor Fredrickson just checked in a little bit ago, and was on her way upstairs to make sure your room was ready," The nurse relays.

"Thank you," Sharon says with a smile. They make their way up to the maternity ward and run into Emily's doctor at the nurses station.

"Hey Emily, how are you doing?" The doctor asks as she grabs a chart off of the counter, starting to lead them down the hall.

"I've probably been better," Emily says, her fingertips massaging over the side of her stomach.

"How are your contractions?"

"Five minutes apart?" Emily recounts, "About a minute long."

"That's good," Doctor Fredrickson smiles, indicating Emily's room, "If you want to get changed real quick, I'm just going to finish your admission paperwork and then I'll be back to check you out."

"Sure," Emily nods as the nurse helps her stand up. Sharon sets her things on the couch under the window as the nurse and doctor leave before grabbing the hospital gown off the bed.

"Help?"

"Yeah please," Emily says. Sharon helps her get changed into the hospital gown before packing her clothes away. Emily groans as she gets in bed, drawing her legs up and sinking against the pillows, "Oh crap."

"You're doing great, honey," Sharon says as she shrugs off her blazer before taking Emily's hand and smiling at her.

Later in the evening around dinner time Sharon looks up as she hears a tap on the door, smiling when she sees Andy poke his head in. She waves him in and stands up from the chair she was sitting in next to the bed, letting go of Emily's hand. Andy hands her the tote bag he was holding as he walks into the room, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hey, how's she doing?" He asks quietly, not wanting to disturb Emily, who looked to be dozing.

"She's doing well," Sharon nods, walking Andy over to the bathroom in the corner of the room. She changes into the t-shirt and jeans he had brought her, handing the bag back after tucking her work clothes inside, "The doctor last came by about half an hour ago - said she was around seven centimeters, I'm surprised she was able to fall asleep."

"I've got a little bit before I need to be back. I can sit with her if you need a break."

"I could really use a cup of coffee," Sharon sighs as she twists her hair up before clipping it together, "Do you mind if I run down to the cafeteria real quick?"

"No of course not," Andy shakes his head. He nudges her towards the door, "Go."

"Thank you," Sharon says, shooting him a thankful smile before escaping out of the room. She tucks her hands into her pockets as she makes her way down to the cafeteria, noticing that the bustle of the hospital was finally starting to wane as the business day was over. Going to pick Emily up straight from the crime scene before bringing her to the hospital and spending the last six hours by her side she hadn't had much time to gather herself.

Sharon was struck with a sense of nostalgia as she stood in the short line to get her cup of coffee. It hadn't been much more than thirty years before she'd been in Emily's same position, laboring away at Cedars Sinai waiting to meet her daughter for the first time. She thanks the cashier as she hands her her change back along with a cup. She fills the cup with the precious dark liquid out of the coffee machine, adding a heavy dash of cream before securing the lid and heading back upstairs.

Sharon sighs as she takes a long drink of the warm beverage in the elevator before stepping out and making her way to Emily's room. She lingers in the doorway with a small smile on her lips as she watches as Andy rubs Emily's back while he props her up. He'd discarded his jacket over the foot of the bed and rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and was swaying back and forth on his feet with the small ballerina, his hands rubbing firmly over the small of her back.

Sharon immediately found herself transported back to 1985 the night before Emily was born. Jack had been out of town at a legal conference with his firm and her parents had been in town visiting, intent on spending some time with their daughter before their granddaughter arrived. Sharon had sent her husband away assuring him that she was in good company with her parents and nothing was going to happen while he was gone. And then Emily had decided to make her arrival almost three weeks early. She had ended up being supported through her labor by both of her parents, spending one of the roughest patches in her father's arms, his strong hands trying to massage away as much of her pain as possible.

 _"I can't do this," Sharon had whimpered with tears in her eyes, clutching onto her father's shirt with white knuckles._

 _"Your mother said much of the same thing," Daniel rumbled quietly, "But you have a strength inside of you that you don't even know exists yet. That's what's going to get you through this."_

"Shar?" Andy says as he notices her standing in the doorway with a far off, slightly teary look in her eyes. Sharon shakes her head as she snaps out of her reverie, offering both of them a small smile as she walks over, setting her coffee on Emily's bed tray, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just old memories," Sharon replies, brushing a few stray hairs from Emily's face and pressing a kiss to her forehead, "How are you doing baby?"

"It hurts," Emily says, groaning softly. Sharon strokes her fingers through Emily's hair and massages her scalp softly before pressing another kiss to her head.

"Let me go find the doctor," Sharon offers before slipping out into the hallway and waving down Emily's doctor.

"How's she doing?" The doctor asks.

"She got a small nap in, but the pain is getting worse," Sharon replies. She helps Emily back into bed and pulls Andy over to the couch, sitting down with him as the doctor examines her daughter, "How long before you need to go back?"

"I've got about an hour before I should leave," Andy says as he looks at his watch.

"I'm glad you were able to get away," Sharon murmurs, threading her fingers with Andy's, her engagement ring glistening in the light of the room, "Thank you for being here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Andy smiles at her. They both look over as the doctor stands up and takes her gloves off.

"I'm going to have a nurse come in and get everything prepped and then we can work on having a baby."

* * *

[TBC]


	16. Chapter 16

**Note:** Short chapter, but a little bit of drama to pump this up a bit!

Also to the guest reviewer who has asked about a look into Sharon's past pregnancies, I don't plan on going into that much in this story. But I would advise that you check out my other fics "O'Dwyer Family Christmas" and "The Heat of the Moment" for looks into the past. "Unlikely Guest" is a current day baby fic if you'd enjoy that as well!

* * *

"One more push Emily," The doctor coaches her. Sharon presses a kiss to her daughter's head as she sits behind her, holding onto her hands.

"You're doing great baby, you're almost there," Sharon coaches gently, "I've got you."

Emily lets out a small yell as she clutches Sharon's hands tightly before she bears down, giving one last push. The doctor grabs the baby as she comes out, immediately handing her up to Emily. Emily lets go of Sharon's hold on her, wrapping her hands around the baby to cradle her close.

"Oh my goodness!" Emily says as she looks down at the crying baby, tears immediately filling her eyes. After accepting a towel from the nurse Sharon reaches around and helps Emily start cleaning the baby off. She looks over at her mother with a look of wonder in her eyes, "She's perfect."

"She is," Sharon agrees with a wet smile of her own. After cleaning the baby off and finishing the rest of Emily's delivery they help her into bed, and Sharon drapes a warm blanket over her, pressing a kiss to her head, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, great," Emily smiles as she settles back against the pillows, looking up as Andy sticks his head into the room as he notices people leaving.

"We have a baby?"

"We have a baby," Emily laughs and nods, waving him in. Andy steps into the room and makes his way over to the bed, wrapping his arm around Sharon's waist as a nurse brings the baby over. Emily thanks her with a smile, looking down at the baby and watching as she looks around with bleary eyes, "Hi little peanut."

"She's beautiful, Em," Andy says as he looks at the little girl. She had a head full of auburn hair, and many of Sharon and Emily's delicate features all offset with a pair of deep blue eyes, "And I just talked to your brother, he said he'll be down in the morning on the first flight out of the bay."

"Thank you," Emily says with a smile.

"Does she have a name?" Sharon prompts. She'd been trying to get a name out of Emily for months, but her daughter had continuously insisted that she hadn't decided yet. Emily chuckles and shifts her hold on the baby, stroking her fingers gently over her daughter's cheek as she looks at her face.

"Yeah," Emily nods, "Sharon Charlotte Raydor. Charlie."

"Emily…" Sharon whispers.

"Sorry, Sharon's really hard to use as a middle name," Emily says as she looks up at her mom with a small smile, "But I think Charlotte fits her well, don't you?"

"It does," Sharon nods with a watery smile.

"Do you want to hold her?" Emily asks. Sharon nods and holds her hands out, taking the bundle from Emily and shushing Charlie as she lets out a fussy whine. She easily nestles her granddaughter in her arms and presses a soft kiss to her head.

"Oh you are just too precious," Sharon murmurs, holding her so Andy can see her better.

"Takes after her grandma," Andy grins, reaching out to stroke Charlie's tiny fingers, "She really is wonderful, Emily."

"Thank you guys…for everything you've done for us," Emily says.

"We will always be there for the both of you," Andy assures Emily as Sharon nods in agreement. They spend a few more moments fawning over Charlie before his phone starts to ring. He pulls it out of his pocket and sighs when he sees Provenza's name pop up.

"Go," Sharon assures him, "We'll be here for a while."

"I'll text you later tonight," Andy says as he presses a kiss to Sharon's lips before leaning down to press a kiss to Emily's head, "Get some rest kid."

"Thanks, Andy," Emily smiles. He presses a kiss to Charlie's head before grabbing his jacket and heading out of the room. Sharon sits down next to the bed and leans back in the chair, looking down at Charlie, stroking the girl's tiny fingers as she marvels at her. Emily shifts a little further down in bed and smiles as she watches them for a few moments, "You know I'll need her back eventually."

"Not a chance," Sharon smiles, tearing her eyes away from Charlie and winking at Emily, "You had her for nine months, she's all mine now."

"You're hilarious, Mom," Emily deadpans. Sharon kisses Charlie's cheek before handing her back to Emily. She reaches up and strokes her daughter's cheek, pressing a firm kiss to her head.

"I'm so proud of you, honey."

Sharon ends up falling asleep in the chair next to Emily's bed, her head resting on her balled up fist. She jolts awake in the middle of the night when she hears raised voices out in the hallway. She looks at her phone that was resting in her lap to check the time, also noticing a text message from Andy that he was going to be by soon that had been sent a few minutes before. She lifts her head as she hears the raised voices again, pushing herself up as she looks at Emily and Charlie, glad they were still asleep. She steps out into the hallway and looks around before moving down the corridor towards the nurses station when she notices two nurses trying to subdue a rather large and agitated man.

"Jessica! I wanna see my kid!" He yells, trying to move past the nurses again.

"Sir, you need to lower your voice," The head nurse tells him in a quiet and firm tone.

"Don't tell me to fucking lower my voice! I want to see my kid!" He says, standing up to his full hight and pressing against the nurse.

"You need to take a step back," Sharon says as she steps forward, moving her body between the man and the nurse, "What seems to be the issue here?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Captain Raydor with the LAPD," Sharon says, her eyes narrowing as she quickly takes in the man in front of her. It was obvious to her that he was on some kind of substance and also probably pretty drunk. She was amazed he hadn't gotten violent yet, "I think the better question is who are you and why are you yelling and waking up tired mothers and newborn children."

"I want to see my kid! That bitch came here with her stupid ass sister and didn't tell me she was having him!"

"Why don't we back up and take this out to the waiting room?" Sharon says, putting her hand on his chest to try and walk him backwards. He smacks her hand off of him and pulls a gun out of his jeans, pointing it directly into her face.

"Don't FUCKING touch me! I want to see my son now!" Sharon swallows as she stares down the barrel of the gun, pulling her hands back and putting them up.

"You are making a _very_ big mistake right now," Sharon says quietly, not looking away from the gun, "I would strongly advise that you put the gun down before someone gets hurt."

"The only one that's going to get hurt is you if I don't get to see my son," The man growls, pulling the hammer on the gun.

"There's another officer that's going to be here any minute…put the gun down," Sharon says.

"Alex! What are you doing here!?" The nurses look back as a young girl steps out of one of the rooms, her robe wrapped tight around her as she leans on an IV pole. Sharon watches as Alex's attention is turned away from her to whom she assumed was Jessica. She reaches out and attempts to get the gun out of his hand, her eyes widening as his hand squeezes around the trigger and the gun goes off.

"Sharon!" Andy yells as he comes around the corner and watches Sharon crumple to the ground, blood starting to seep through the cotton of her shirt. Andy pulls his gun out of his holster and fires as Alex turns around, gun still in his hand. He gets him twice in the chest before walking closer and kicking the gun from his hand. He holsters his weapon and drops to his knees next to Sharon, reaching out to cup her face as one of the nurses presses down on her wound as the other calls a code, "Sharon? Honey, look at me."

"Andy," Sharon whimpers, her eyes unfocused as her head rolls towards him. She coughs and a small amount of blood trickles from the corner of her mouth.

"Sharon stay with me, okay?"

"Mom!?" Emily yells, hurrying over and kneeling down next to Andy, "Mom, what happened?"

"I…" Sharon only manages to get out a syllable before she coughs again a few times, more blood coming out as her eyes roll back in her head.

"Mom!"

"Sharon!"

* * *

[TBC]


	17. Chapter 17

**Note:** Sorry for the wait - damn job keeps wanting me to do stuff for money! Please continue to read and review :)

* * *

Andy grabs onto Sharon's hand as they load her onto a gurney. He turns to Emily who was leaning against the counter, sobbing.

"Go back to your room, call your brothers. I'll come back once they get her into surgery."

"Andy, I..." Emily sobs, her hands shaking.

"Emily go!" Andy says firmly, running off with Sharon and the doctors working with her. Emily sniffles as a nurse walks her back to her room, bursting into a new round of tears when she sees Charlie sleeping peacefully in her cradle.

"Let me get you a new gown," The nurse offers as she sits Emily on the edge of her bed. She retrieves a new gown, helping Emily clean up before starting to get her tucked into bed, "That was your mom?"

"Yeah," Emily nods as she sniffles, wiping her fingers under her eyes, "She's a cop. She's been here with me all day."

"You just had your first one?" The nurse asks, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Emily nods, a small smile making its way to her face as she looks over at Charlie.

"Yeah, Charlie."

"She's adorable."

"She is," Emily nods and sighs, swallowing hard as another round of tears start. She looks back over at the nurse, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Your mom?"

"Yeah."

"It's hard to say…but she probably has a damn good chance considering everything happened in a hospital. We have good doctors here, they're going to do everything they can."

"Thanks," Emily whispers.

"I need to go check on some of the other patients, but press your call button if you need anything. Though it seemed like your dad was going to be back soon."

"Yeah, hopefully," Emily nods, thanking the nurse once again before she leaves the room. She leans over and picks up Charlie, snuggling her close and pressing a kiss to her head before grabbing her phone and unlocking it. Her thumb hovers over Ricky and Rusty's names, hesitating for a moment before she stabs Ricky's name, lifting the phone to her ear.

"Mmm, yeah?" Ricky mumbles into the phone after he picks up.

"Ricky…"

"Emily?" Ricky says, sounding more alert, "Em what is it?"

"I…" Emily's voice cracks, "Mom, she was staying with me…and this guy showed up for some other patient…"

"Emily, what happened?"

"He shot her, Rick…" Emily whispers, tears starting to run down her face again.

"What?!"

"He shot her…I…Andy went down with her, I don't know what's going on," Emily says, "You need to get here."

"Jesus," Ricky says, "Fuck, Em…I…shit."

"I know," Emily whimpers.

"Look, I'm going to keep my flight…at this point it's going to get me there sooner than driving would. But I'm going to stay up. _Call_ me if anything changes okay?"

"Yeah. I will."

"I'll be to the hospital by 630 okay?"

"Sure," Emily nods.

"Have you called Rusty?" Ricky asks.

"Not yet, once I get off the phone with you," Emily assures him, "I love you."

"I love you too, big sis." Emily hangs up on Ricky and wipes her face with the back of her hand before dialing Rusty.

"What's wrong?" Rusty says when he answers the phone.

"Rusty…ah, there was an thing at the hospital tonight. Mom got shot."

"What!?"

"Andy is with her right now," Emily assures him leaning her cheek against Charlie's head as she lets out a small cry, "But I don't know much else…"

"I'm getting dressed and coming over. What's your room number?"

"Um…7312," Emily says.

"I'm coming from Gus'. I'll probably be about forty-five minutes."

"Okay, drive safe…" Emily says, "Love you."

"Love you," Rusty murmurs back before hanging up. Emily puts her phone down and wraps her other hand around Charlie, pressing soft kisses to her temple. She shifts her to laying down in her arms, helping her get latched on before stroking her fingers over her hair gently.

"Oh my sweet baby girl…" Emily murmurs, closing her eyes against the tears, "I hope that your grandma is okay…"

Emily gets Charlie fed before Andy comes back up, cradling her small body against her chest. Andy hangs his jacket over the end of her bed, pulling up a chair next to the bed. He reaches out and cups the back of Charlie's head, stroking his thumb over her fine hair as he looks at her for a moment.

"How's she doing?" Andy asks quietly.

"Good," Emily nods, "She just ate…pretty quiet for the most part. What's going on with Mom?"

"They got her into emergency surgery. I stuck around long enough for the nurse to come back out and give me a quick update. She's going to be in there for a few hours, probably until early morning. They don't know the extent of the damage caused, but it's good that…" Andy sighs and swallows hard, "With how close range it was the bullet was a through and through, which is good."

"But she's going to be okay?"

"They seemed optimistic and your mom's a fighter," Andy says, "They're going to do all they can."

"What about everything else?" Emily says, waving her hand toward the partially open door.

"There's officers out there right now, dealing with everything. Guy was some low rung peon for the 18th Street Gang. FID's going to be here soon probably to talk to me," Andy says rubbing the back of his neck, "Did you call your brothers?"

"Yeah. Rusty is on his way. Ricky's going to keep his flight…said he should be here by 630."

"Good," Andy nods absentmindedly. Emily reaches over and takes his hand in hers, squeezing it supportively before looking up as Rusty and Gus come practically tumbling into the room.

"What happened?" Rusty asks as he rounds the bed to the side Andy was sitting on. Andy recounts everything to Rusty and Gus as Emily texts her brother what Andy had told her.

"What about Grandma and Grandpa?" Emily asks after Andy finishes talking, "I don't know if Mom had called them at all before…I cant tell them about this."

"I will call them later in the morning once she's out of surgery," Andy assures her. Emily takes a deep breath, staving off another round of tears before shaking her head and adjusting Charlie so she was facing Rusty and Gus.

"Rusty, this is your new niece. Charlie," Emily says, a soft smile on her lips.

"Charlie?" Rusty asks as he sits down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to softly brush Charlie's tiny fingers.

"Mmm, Sharon Charlotte," Emily says.

"She looks like Mom," Rusty comments with a small smile as he looks at the baby.

"She does," Emily agrees. She shifts her hold on Charlie before passing her over to Rusty. His eyes widen as the baby gets plopped in his arms. Andy chuckles, clapping him on the back.

"Relax, Uncle Rusty, you're not going to break her," Andy says, sharing a grin with Emily. He looks up as an officer knocks on the door, nodding before standing up. He leans over and kisses Emily's head, "I'll be back soon."

"Good luck," Emily says, squeezing his hand before he leaves.

Andy returns a short while later, joining the four of them as they wait for news on Sharon. They pass Charlie around the room, Emily taking turns to feed her when she fusses before she gets tucked away in her bassinet. Around 5 a.m. a nurse comes up to get Andy, letting him know that Sharon was being finished up in surgery.

"She's doing well," The nurse assures the rest of them before leading Andy away. Emily sighs and closes her eyes, sinking back against her pillows, rubbing her fingers over her eyes.

"I'm going to rest a little bit, wake me up if Ricky gets here."

"Sure," Rusty nods. Emily yawns as she dozes off, her arm tucked under her head. Andy returns after a while, meeting Ricky on the way. He guides him to his sister's room, giving him the open chair before leaning down to wake Emily up. Emily lets out a small hum, stretching out slightly before smiling when she sees her brother.

"Little brother," Emily murmurs, reaching her hand out to him. Ricky takes her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles before sitting down, "How's she doing, Andy?"

"She's in recovery right now, and I sat with her for a little bit," Andy says, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his eyes cast down to the floor, "They're expecting her to be out for a couple more hours. The bullet did a bit of damage. They ended up taking out about five inches of her large intestine, and she lost her right kidney. She's going to be in here for about a week, but they're optimistic that she'll make a full recovery."

"Oh my god," Emily says, her hand covering her mouth.

"Shit," Ricky says, leaning back in his chair, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh god," Rusty echoes, sinking back in his own chair, his face paling. Gus reaches out and takes his hand, squeezing softly.

"She has a rough road ahead of her," Andy says, looking back up and around at the kids, "But she's going to make it. I'm going to go sit with her until she's out of recovery. I will call your grandparents, and let them know what's going on. And I will let you guys know when you can come down. You going to be okay for a while?"

"Yeah," Ricky says with a nod, speaking up for the rest of them, "Thanks, Andy."

"Okay," Andy says softly, taking all of them in before turning to leave the room. He pauses before he walks out the door, turning around to leave them with a parting thought, "Sharon's a fighter…she'll pull through."

* * *

[TBC]


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes:** Whew! Sorry for the wait on this one!

* * *

Emily looks up as she hears Sharon groan softly before her eyes open slightly, revealing a cloudy green. She scoots her chair a little closer, shifting Charlie to one arm as she takes Sharon's hand in hers, being careful of the IV in the back.

"Hey sleepy head," Emily whispers. Sharon's eyes scan the ceiling for a moment before she looks over at Emily, blinking slowly. She works her tongue through her mouth a couple times, her nose wrinkling slightly at the dryness. Emily reaches over and grabs one of the swabs from the cup of water on Sharon's bedside table, giving it to her mom. She swipes it over her dry lips before letting her suck on it, taking it back after a moment. Sharon swallows, working the small amount of water throughout her mouth before looking at Emily.

"Andy?" Sharon rasps.

"He went down to the cafeteria to get some lunch with Rusty and Ricky. They should be back up soon," Emily tells her.

"What..." Sharon murmurs, trailing off as a wave of pain rolls across her face.

"You were in surgery most of the night," Emily tells her, "You were shot, do you remember that?"

"Mmm," Sharon hums, her eyes closing again.

"Andy has more information, but basically they had to remove part of your large intestine and your right kidney. You're going to be in a bit of pain for a while," Emily says, grabbing the drip button from the bed and setting it next to Sharon's hand, "So you have this button for morphine, okay?"

"You okay?" Sharon asks as she opens her eyes, looking over at Emily and Charlie. Emily was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, her hair pulled away from her face. Charlie was dressed in a long sleeve onesie, with teal and grey ice cream cones patterned over it, wrapped up in the blanket that Sharon's mother had made for her. Both of them still had their hospital bracelets on.

"Yeah, Mom...we're okay," Emily smiles as she squeezes Sharon's hand, "Even though it was completely _dumb_ what you did...you definitely saved some people."

"Good," Sharon murmurs, her eyes drooping closed again. Emily holds her hand, her thumb brushing back and forth softly across her mother's knuckles. She looks up when Andy comes back into the room a little while later, smiling at him.

"How's she doing?"

"Good, she woke up for a little bit," Emily tells him, "She was groggy, but she seemed to be tracking a bit."

"That's good," Andy nods, sighing as he sinks down into a chair on the other side of the bed.

"Where are the boys?"

"Rusty was going to take Ricky back to the house. He was going to drop off his stuff and grab a shower before coming back," Andy tells her. Emily sighs as she lets go of Sharon's hand, looking up at the clock on the wall.

"I have to get back upstairs," Emily says quietly, "The pediatrician is supposed to come take a look at Charlie. They might actually get us discharged tonight."

"Do you need me to walk you back up?" Andy asks. Emily shakes her head as she stands with Charlie, patting the baby's back softly as she lets out a soft whine.

"No we'll be fine…I'll be back down as soon as I can, but text me if anything changes?" Emily asks as she stands in front of Andy. Andy nods and leans over, kissing Charlie's head. Emily slips out of the room, heading towards the elevator bank. Andy reaches out and takes Sharon's hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he looks at her face.

The doctor and nurses swing by occasionally, keeping an eye on Sharon's vitals and making sure her IV's were filled. Sharon wakes up again after a couple hours, a little more coherent than the last time. She smiles when she turns her head and catches Andy's eye. He smiles back at her and presses a kiss to her hand.

"Hi."

"Hey," Sharon rasps.

"How you feeling?" Andy inquires, shuffling closer to the bed. Sharon lifts her hand and curls her finger at him, beckoning him closer. Andy sits up a little more, leaning closer to her. Sharon grasps his shirt gently, pulling him closer to press a soft kiss to his lips. She let's his shirt go and smiles at him when he pulls back.

"Sorry…if my breath stinks…" Sharon says, her breathing slightly labored.

"It's okay," Andy smiles, stroking her hair back from her face as his eyes study her, "I'm so glad to see you awake…you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry," Sharon murmurs, reaching up and resting her hand against Andy's cheek, her thumb stroking back and forth slowly. She notices her bare hand after a moment and her eyes widen as her heart rate begins to elevate. Andy looks up at the monitor before noticing her eyes focused on her hand. He reaches up and pulls her hand away from his cheek, reaching in his shirt pocket before pulling her ring out.

"Looking for this?" Andy smiles. Sharon lets out a breath of relief before nodding with a small smile. Andy slips it back onto her finger, pressing a kiss to it before holding her hand to his cheek again, "They gave it to me when they took you into surgery…"

"Emily said they had to take some stuff out?"

"Yeah," Andy nods, beginning to recount everything that the doctor had told him after they had brought her out of surgery, "...because of the nature of the injury, they weren't able to do the surgery discreetly. So..."

"So I look like Frankenstein," Sharon replies wryly, her eyebrow arching. Andy gets a sheepish look on his face and shrugs.

"For now. The doc said it should heal up nicely, but there's about an eight inch incision on your right side along with the entry and exit wound..." Andy says, gesturing his hand along the right side of her body, "I haven't seen it, though."

"Mmm I'm wondering if I should let you," Sharon smiles tiredly, "Where are the kids?"

"Rusty took Ricky home, they should be back soon. Emily went back upstairs a little bit ago," Andy tells her.

"Mmkay," Sharon murmurs, sighing softly. They both look up as the door to the room opens and Sharon's doctor and a nurse come in.

"Hey doc," Andy says, standing and shaking the doctor's hand. Sharon's eyes trail over the young doctor's face. He had to be in his late 20s, early 30s; dusty brown hair and bright blue eyes hidden behind black framed glasses.

"Mr. Flynn," The doctor smiles before turning to Sharon and picking up her chart, "Ms. Raydor, it's good to see you awake."

"It's good to be awake," Sharon says, making an effort to try to sit up but groaning softly in pain. Andy steps closer to the bed and presses the button to move the top of the bed up a little more, "Thanks, honey."

"I'm Dr. Ron Harris, I'm one of your post-op doctors that's going to be keeping an eye on you the next couple days. Dr. Daniels performed your surgery earlier this morning, and she'll probably pop by a couple times during your stay to see how you're doing. Dr. Ling will be your doctor in the evening and over night, we'll stop by together later today before I leave for the night," Ron explains to Sharon and Andy, "How are you feeling, Sharon?"

"In pain, little groggy...tired," Sharon says.

"I'm guessing your fiance told you about your surgery," He asks as he checks Sharon's vitals. Sharon nods and reaches up to rub her eye, running her fingers through her hair slowly.

"Yeah, um, where are my glasses?" Sharon inquires, looking at Andy.

"Oh!" Andy says, digging in his suit jacket for her glasses before unfolding them and handing them to her. Sharon smiles her thanks and puts them on, blinking a couple times as her vision focuses.

"Better?" Ron asks with a smile and Sharon nods.

"Yeah."

"I'm going to check your incision and get your dressing changed and the we'll go over what the schedule will be like this week. Sound okay?"

"Sure," Sharon murmurs, watching as the nurse rolls her sheets back before slipping her gown up on her right side. Andy takes Sharon's hand in his and squeezes it softly, smiling at her. The doctor washes his hands and puts on a pair of gloves before peeling away the larger dressing on Sharon's side, revealing her sutured together surgical incision.

Sharon winces as she looks at the large wound, swallowing hard before looking away and up at Andy. Andy presses a kiss to the back of her hand as the doctor checks the incision over before replacing the old dressing with a new one. He changes the entry wound quickly before the nurse rounds the bed to help Sharon roll onto her side so he can change the one on her back.

"The sites are looking good," Ron comments as he takes his gloves off before helping re-situate Sharon's gown and pull her blankets back up. He grabs her chart again as the nurse cleans up all of their supplies before leaving. He pulls the chair closer to her bed before taking a seat as he reviews everything. Andy sits back down on the other side of the bed, still holding onto Sharon's hand.

"So, what are we looking at, Doc?" Andy asks.

"You're doing well. I think we'll try to get you up out of bed later this evening or tomorrow morning. I'd expect that your stay will be about a week to a week and a half depending on how things go. Someone from gastro and nephrology will come down to talk to you about more future items specific to the surgery that you've had. It won't be until the doctor from Gastro comes that we can talk about getting you food.

"Right now you're getting some nutrition from a feeding tube we've placed as well as your IVs. Once that doctor has a chance to evaluate you then we'll know when you can get back to liquids and solids. What I can tell you it's going to be soft and relatively bland food for a while. By the end of the week we have a goal of having you eating a few things, Jello; bananas, oatmeal, things like that.

"For both surgeries you are generally looking at a total recovery time, before you're back to regular activity, of about eight weeks. Since we've done two of them I would expect it might take a little longer, but that just depends on how well you heal and everything. Does that all make sense?"

"I think that covers a lot of things," Andy says after noticing that Sharon was starting to get tired.

"Good. I'm around if there are questions that arise and I'll be back when the specialists come in," The doctor says.

"Thank you," Sharon rasps, her eyes drooping closed.

"I've got some more rounds to do," Ron says as he gets up from his chair, "I'll see you in a couple hours."

"Thanks, Doc," Andy says, shaking his hand before he leaves. He squeezes Sharon's hand to grab her attention, "You use your button?"

"Yeah," Sharon murmurs, already starting to drift off. She squeezes Andy's hand gently, her thumb stroking over the top gently once, "I love you."

"I love you too, Shar..." Andy murmurs.

* * *

[TBC]


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes:** I felt so bad about leaving you high and dry for so long, I've added a second chapter today. I think we might move out of the hospital after this one, and this one focuses a little bit more on Andy which is a different take for me. Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

It was a few days before Sharon was more alert when she was awake, coming down off of the IV pain medication. Ricky, Rusty, and Emily lingered at the hospital for most of the day, heading home together around dinner time. The three of them quickly fell into a schedule, arriving after breakfast, giving Andy a break for a little bit before the four of them would loiter around the room. The second day Ricky had brought cards and a couple small games with him for them to keep themselves entertained while their mom slept or was out taking a short walk.

On day four they were surprised that Sharon was already awake when they got there, sitting up in her bed and poking at the tail ends of a bowl of creamed wheat. Sharon drops her spoon and smiles when she sees the kids come in.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey mom, what are you doing up already?"

"Um, Dr. Daniels came by a little while ago," Andy tells them.

"And the breakfast tray actually looked good," Sharon says, pushing the bed table away. Ricky hoists Charlie's car seat onto one of the empty chairs and Emily unbuckles her before lifting her out, "And I didn't want to miss a chance to see my baby. Hand her over."

"Mom are you sure…" Emily says wary of wearing out her mother.

"I can handle holding her," Sharon says, holding her arms out. Emily rolls her eyes with a smile, leaning down to settle Charlie in her mother's arms. Sharon shifts her hold on the baby, smiling down at her sleeping face. Charlie snuffles, snuggling into Sharon's hold, "Oh you're even cuter than when I saw you yesterday."

"She's going to have a complex by the time she's two weeks old," Emily says as she puts the car seat on the windowsill before taking a seat next to the bed, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better now," Sharon says with a small smile, her hand rubbing along Charlie's back. Emily smiles back at her mother, enjoying the chance to admire the two. Andy stands from his chair, grunting as he stretches a little before sighing as he looks down at Sharon.

"I think I'm going to go home and get a shower and change," Andy mumbles as he scrubs his hands over his face, he hadn't done much more than wash up in the hospital room since she'd been admitted. The kids had brought him clothes so he could change, but scruff was lining his cheeks and his brown eyes were dull with exhaustion. Sharon looks up at him with sympathetic eyes, her lip slipping out into a small pout.

"Why don't you take a chance to get a little sleep in a real bed? You look exhausted."

"I don't want to be gone too long."

"I'll be fine with the kids here," Sharon assures Andy. He looks at her skeptically and she rolls her eyes, "There's three of them here, Andy. I think they can manage to wrangle me even in my incapacitated state."

"Okay," Andy says quietly, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips before kissing Charlie's head. He straightens up and looks at Emily, "Call me if you need anything?"

"I will," Emily assures him. Andy reaches out and strokes Sharon's cheek.

"I love you," Andy says. Sharon leans into his hand and smiles softly at him.

"I love you too." Andy takes his hand back and grabs his jacket before leaving the room. He sighs as he trudges down the hallway to the elevators, pressing the button to go down. He makes his way down to the parking garage, looking around a couple moments for his car. He sighs as he stands in the middle of the area, his head swiveling back and forth, trying to remember where he had parked when he'd gotten to the hospital. He digs into his pocket for his keys before pressing the lock button a couple times, keeping his ear out for the tell tale chirp. He follows it to the end of the row he was standing in, sighing when he finds the car finally. He moves his thumb over to the unlock button, unlocking all the doors before climbing in.

Andy turns the car over and backs out of his space, making his way out of the garage and handing his ticket over to the attendant. He hands over his credit card a moment later to cover the fees, taking the receipt and card back before pulling out and onto the street. He punches the off button for the radio with his thumb once the satellite radio makes a connection and turns on, making his way home in silence, chewing at his thumbnail.

Once Andy pulls into the driveway and into his spot in the garage, he looks over at where Sharon normally parked next to him. He swallows hard and shakes his head, climbing out of the car. He shuts the garage door and heads inside, making his way to their bedroom. He undresses and tosses his clothes in the hamper, padding silently to the shower and turning the water on as hot as he can handle, soaking in it until it runs cold. He wraps a towel around his waist and pads over to the counter, regarding the marble countertop littered with different bits of his and Sharon's morning routines. A lipstick container here, a razor there; all mixed together.

Andy's throat contracts again and he rubs his hand over the back of his neck before picking out his shaving supplies. He lathers up his jaw, beginning to pull the razor over his stubble. He gets most of his face cleaned up, lifting his head to clean the last bit. He grunts as he catches the razor on the bone, cutting himself. He drops the razor in the sink, blood dripping into the water. He tips his head to the side to inspect the wound, blood running down his neck at a leisurely pace. He winces and jerks his hand back as he prods the cut, knocking over Sharon's perfume onto the floor. The bottle breaks open and the scent of jasmine and ylang-ylang begins to assault the room and his nose. Andy tries to swallow again once more, unable to get past the knot in his throat. His fist lashes out and crashes into the mirror, sending the frame askew and reflective pieces over the counter.

"Fuck!" Andy yells, smaller shards digging into his knuckles. His head drops forward and his shoulders shake as he finally lets go, sobs wracking his body. He sinks down to the floor and holds his hand to his chest as he lets his emotions course through him. Eventually his tears cease and he drops his head back against the vanity, sniffling as he brushes his hand under his nose. He looks around at the bathroom, sighing at the mess that he had made.

Andy cleans himself up, wrapping some gauze around his fingers until he got back to the hospital later. He finishes shaving before starting to clean up the counter. He puts his and Sharon's things away in the drawers before sweeping up all of the broken glass. He wipes away the remnants of the perfume, keeping the piece of glass that had the label on it so he could replace the scent. He gets dressed in sweatpants before climbing into death, curling himself around Sharon's pillow and inhaling her scent. A couple rogue tears filter down his cheek as he closes his eyes, trying to find sleep.

Andy returns to Sharon's hospital room a few hours later with a couple bags, his hand properly bandaged. He finds the room empty, Sharon asleep in her bed. He sets the bags down and leans down, pressing a kiss to her head. Sharon hums and a small smile spreads across her lips before her eyes open.

"Hi."

"Hi. Where are your babysitters?"

"I sent them to go get lunch a little while ago," Sharon murmurs, "Did you get some rest?"

"I did," Andy nods, sitting down next to the bed. Sharon notices the cut on his face and his wrapped up hand, frowning as she reaches out.

"What happened?"

"Ah…nothing," Andy shakes his head, an ashamed expression taking over his face as he looks down, flexing his hand. Sharon reaches up and slips her hand under his chin, tipping his face up.

"Andy…" Sharon warns, "Don't hide from me."

"I…" Andy swallows and shrugs, looking into Sharon's eyes, "I couldn't remember where I parked the car. When I left. I got down to the parking garage…and it was so long ago. And I got home and your car wasn't there. And home…I accidentally knocked your perfume over when I cut myself shaving. The smell, your smell…I lost it."

"You lost it?"

"I broke the mirror in the bathroom…" Andy says, looking down at his hand again.

"Oh honey," Sharon says, squeezing his hand gently, pulling, "Come're…"

"I could have lost you," Andy says, "I can't live without you. I don't have it in me…"

"You don't have to," Sharon reminds him. She turns his hand over in hers, slipping it under her gown and pressing it over her heart. Andy holds his hand there for a moment, feeling her heart beat against his palm. Sharon reaches out and brushes her hand over his cheek, watching his face, "I'm right here, Andy…You haven't gotten rid of me yet."

"I don't ever wanna get rid of you, Shar…" Andy says, his thumb stroking softly over her skin.

"Good," Sharon smiles. She pulls his hand away from her and lifts it to her lips, pressing a kiss to the gauze covering his injury, "What's in the bags?"

"Well after searching for the mirror we had in the bathroom online for a while so I could order a replacement, I stopped a couple places on my way back. I had to replace your perfume, and I stopped and got you some mashed potatoes from that place you like…figured it was better than what they had here," Andy says, reaching down to get the container of food for her. He hands it over along with a plastic fork and a smile. He holds up the small bag from Nordstrom's and hands it over to her as well, "A new bottle of perfume, and a little something extra."

"How much did you choke when they told you the total?" Sharon asks with a smile as she pulls the paper out of the bag, grabbing the box for the perfume before opening it up and pulling out the bottle. She'd started wearing Jasmin Noir shortly before her forays with Major Crimes. Andy had mentioned how much he loved the scent so she hadn't changed it. But the black bottle from Bvlgari carried a larger price tag than most of her other cosmetics.

"Well…I do love that scent on you, so I think I can fork over $150 every once in a while to keep you smelling that way," Andy smiles. Sharon smiles back and takes the cap off, taking a small whiff of the perfume before tucking everything back together. She reaches back into the bag and pulls out a small glass tray with a quote on it.

" _A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and always a best friend_ …" Sharon reads before shooting Andy a slightly watery smile, "Thank you."

Andy shrugs, his ears coloring a little bit. He takes the bag back from her and sets it on her bedside table before leaning back in the chair and settling in.

* * *

[TBC]


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes:** I got a great suggestion after the last chapter - let's see what you guys think!

* * *

Sharon hands Andy her bag after putting her dirty clothes in it and zipping it up. She winces as she sinks down into the wheelchair before relaxing with a sigh. Emily comes into the room with Charlie strapped to her chest in a wrap, car keys dangling in her fingers.

"Hey, ready to go?" Emily says.

"We're just waiting for the doctor to come back with her discharge papers," Andy tells Emily.

"Doctor Harris?" Emily says, her eyes perking up a bit. Sharon laughs at her daughter's reaction, leaning back in the wheelchair.

"Does Emily have a crush on Doctor Harris?" Sharon teases. Emily rolls her eyes and sinks down on the edge of the bed as they wait.

"Am I allowed to have a crush on someone when I'm covered in milk stains and haven't slept more than two hours straight in a week?" Emily pontificates, as she strokes the back of Charlie's head.

"Honey, you can have a crush whenever you want," Sharon grins, leaning her head onto her hand. A few minutes later Doctor Harris comes in with a few folders in his hans.

"Morning, Emily," Ron says, smiling at the brunette, having already greeted Sharon and Andy when he'd been in earlier.

"Morning, Doctor," Emily smiles back, her cheeks coloring.

"Alright, Sharon, I've got your discharge paperwork together for you. This top packet has care instructions in it, things like wound care, medication directions, and current physical limitations. Second packet has current dietary plan and allowed foods. Bottom paper has your follow up appointments on them as well as your prescriptions. You'll see your GP next week to get your stitches taken out, and then you have some follow ups with Gastro and Nephrology. I've also added my contact information on there incase you have any questions once you get home today," The doctor explains, handing over all of the paperwork, "Don't try to rush yourself. You've still got a while before you'll be back to 100%."

"Thanks so much for everything you've done for me, Doctor Harris," Sharon says, reaching up to shake the young man's hand.

"Just doing my job," Ron assures her, "Nurse Wilson is going to wheel you downstairs, but I'll walk down with you too."

"Thank you," Emily says with a smile, following behind Andy, Sharon, and the nurse as they make their way downstairs.

"You wouldn't have happened to have been here a few months ago after a car accident would you?" Ron asks Emily as he looks over at her.

"Ah yeah," Emily nods with a small smile, "My brothers and I were brought in after we got hit by a drunk driver...I was here for about a week. You weren't one of my doctors were you?"

"No, I came by once to do a consult for your brother," Ron shrugs. He looks ahead at the group before lowering his voice as he looks back at Emily, "I don't mean to be rude...but would you be interested in coffee sometime? I know you have a lot going on right now, and it's not something that would have to be soon or anything...but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask."

"You...know that this is my baby right? I'm not just like babysitting or anything," Emily asks, pointing to Charlie.

"I know," Ron says with a smile. He digs in his pocket and pulls out a business card, scribbling a second phone number on the back. He hands it to Emily, their fingertips brushing each other's slightly, "This is my personal cell number. Like I said...no rush, I know you're busy. And it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just coffee if you want."

"Okay," Emily nods and smiles, tucking the card into her back pocket. Soon they end up at the front door and Emily grabs her keys from her pocket, "I should go pull the car up. I'll call you, soon."

"Okay," Ron smiles at her before giving a final goodbye to Sharon and Andy. Emily pulls the car up to the front a moment later and gets out, popping the trunk and taking her mom's bag from Andy as he helps her into the front seat.

"Did you want me to drive home?" Andy offers after shutting Sharon's door.

"Sure," Emily says, handing the keys over to Andy before climbing into the back seat and smiling at Charlie as she yawns before her blue eyes open, blinking slowly.

"So what were you two whispering about back there?" Sharon asks as she turns her head to look back at Emily.

"He asked if I wanted to go out for coffee sometime, and gave me his number. He said there wasn't a rush, he knew I was busy," Emily shrugs as she gives Charlie her finger, smiling as she captures it in a tight grip.

"So are you going to call him?" Sharon asks as Andy gets in the car.

"Call who?" Andy asks as he turns the engine over before pulling away from the hospital.

"Doctor Harris gave Emily his phone number," Sharon tells Andy as Emily rolls her eyes in the back seat.

"Why not just send out a mass text to the entire squad, Mom?" Emily asks as she pulls the number out of her back pocket, looking at the numbers scrawled across the back, "I mean who wants to go out with a mom?"

Sharon arches her eyebrow silently, and Emily rolls her eyes again.

"You know what I mean. We were all grown by the time you and Andy started dating. It's not like we were toddlers."

"I still had Rusty living at home," Sharon points out

"True," Emily shrugs, "I just don't...why?"

"You're a lovely young woman, Emily," Andy pipes up, looking back at her through the rearview mirror, "Baby or not. It takes a very special person to want to not only be involved in someone's life but their kids' lives as well. And it's up to you who gets to do that. If you're not comfortable pursuing that, you don't have to."

"I guess…" Emily sighs, looking at Charlie as she looks around the interior of the car.

"Besides - it's not like you have to marry a guy on the first date. You know that. You go out for coffee and you don't like him, you don't like him," Sharon reminds Emily.

"I suppose I had just considered Charlie my future…that it was just going to be the two of us," Emily clarifies, "I'm not, like, afraid to date or anything…at least I don't think I am."

"Well, sometimes you're given opportunities when you least expect them," Sharon smiles as she takes Andy's hand in hers, squeezing softly. Andy smiles and winks at her. The four of them finish the drive home in relative silence, Emily getting out and grabbing the car seat before heading inside with her mom and Andy.

"Where do you want to get settled at?" Andy asks.

"The couch is fine," Sharon says as she shuffles into the living room and sinks down on one end of the couch, stretching out along the length. Emily sets Charlie's carseat on the coffee table before grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch and shaking it out, draping it over Sharon, "Thank you honey."

"I'm going to grab you a water. Do you want anything else?" Emily asks as she hands over the remotes for the TV.

"No I'm fine," Sharon says, turning on the TV before tucking the remote into her side. Emily heads into the kitchen and Sharon smiles at Charlie, reaching out to rock her carseat slightly. The little girl's eyes dart over to stare at Sharon, her tiny tongue working in and out of her mouth, "What are you doing up there, little bug?"

"Looking cute," Andy says as he steps into the living room, leaning over the back of the couch.

"Of course she is, she takes after me," Sharon grins as she looks up at him. Andy laughs and shakes his head with a smile.

"I am going to go pick up your prescriptions and grab a couple groceries so you actually have something to eat around here," He tells her, "I shouldn't be gone too long, but I put the phone numbers Doctor Harris gave us up on the fridge, so if anything changes Emily can call someone."

"I think we'll be just fine," Sharon assures him, "But I appreciate your worry."

"Oh yeah?" Andy says, arching his eyebrow.

"I mean I'll be tired of it later tonight, but for now…" Sharon says, shrugging one shoulder. Andy smiles and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before straightening up.

"Text me if you need anything?"

"Um…where is my phone?" Sharon asks, "I haven't seen it since I've been in the hospital. I've been using your phone or one of the kids'."

"It's probably still in your purse," Andy says, taking off down the hall to grab the bag of things they'd brought home from the hospital. He shuffles through her purse and finds the phone, sighing as he finds it dead. He grabs her phone charger and brings it out to the living room, plugging it in within her reach, "It probably died a few days ago. Sorry, I didn't even think…"

"It's okay," Sharon says, reaching up to squeeze his hands, "Thank you for bringing it to me."

"I'll be back soon," Andy says, kissing her once more, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon murmurs, looking up as Andy's replaced with Emily holding out a bottle of water to her, "Thank you."

"You sure you don't need anything else?"

"No I'm fine," Sharon says, shaking her head. Emily nods before getting Charlie out of her carseat and resting in her swing. She puts the carseat back by the door before busying herself with picking up the living room quickly. Sharon notices her stacking paperwork from colleges into her arms as she clears off the rest of the coffee table, "What are those?"

"Oh…I sent out for some stuff from USC and UCLA a few weeks ago. They just got here the other day," Emily says sitting down on the coffee table and handing them over to Sharon, "Just kind of a back up plan if I don't get back to dancing…my bachelors is hardly anything to fall back on. I thought I could go back and maybe do something with marketing or history."

"No science classes?" Sharon smiles as she looks through the papers. Emily wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.

"Oh god no," Emily says, "I figured with marketing and my background in dance maybe I could get a job working with a company helping them with marketing…or an agency that specializes in the arts."

"History?"

"I've always enjoyed it, I could get a job at a museum. I already have my background in art history so I could probably get a masters," Emily shrugs, "I don't know. I've been trying to wrack my brain of what I could do that I would enjoy doing, that wouldn't be a complete waste of spending the time and money to go back to school. That's what I've come up with so far."

"I think it's worth pursuing," Sharon says as she hands the papers back, "You know we're here to support you in whatever way you need."

"I know," Emily nods, stacking everything back up before standing, "I'm just going to go put these away."

"Okay," Sharon nods. Emily disappears down the hall before returning a few minutes later with Charlie's blanket draped over her shoulder and a diaper and wipes clutched in her hand. She sets the changing supplies down on the table before leaning over and picking Charlie up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hi sweetness," Emily murmurs in her ear as she snuggles her close. She checks her diaper and gets her changed before settling on the couch with Sharon's feet in her lap and Charlie at her breast.

Later in the evening Sharon leans to the side as she sits on the edge of her side of the bed, only dressed in her underwear. Andy lays a piece of gauze over her side before pressing it into place and taping it down.

"Is that okay?" Andy asks.

"Yeah," Sharon nods with a small smile. Andy helps her into a loose t-shirt before pulling back the covers on the bed. Sharon sighs as she gets settled in bed, brushing her damp locks away from her face. Andy finishes getting ready for bed before getting into the other side of the bed and turning the lights off.

"First day back home?"

"Better than being in the hospital," Sharon comments, trying to get comfortable. She rolls onto her side away from Andy, brushing a hand against her injured side before settling. Andy rests his hand on her hip, his thumb stroking back and forth gently. Sharon takes a deep breath and sighs, "What if I just retired?"

"What?"

"If I just retired," Sharon says, "I could be around to help Emily more, spend time with Charlie…hopefully would avoid being shot again."

"I know the last week has been rough. And I will always support what decisions you make," Andy says in a soft voice, "But…maybe don't throw the towel in just yet."

"I'm not going to put in the paperwork just yet or anything," Sharon murmurs, "I've just been thinking about it the last couple days."

"You deserve it if you do," Andy tells her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, "I don't want you to regret it. And I'd miss you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhm, little partial to spending time with you," Andy smiles.

"Me too," Sharon murmurs, resting her hand over his.

"Sleep well," Andy replies, watching as her eyes droop shut, "I love you."

"Love you too," Sharon whispers.

* * *

[TBC]


	21. Chapter 21

It ended up being a couple weeks before Emily and Ron were able to find an opening in their schedules and Emily felt comfortable leaving Charlie with Sharon for a little while she went out. Sharon watched from the couch amused as her daughter was flitting back and forth between the living room and her bedroom, coming out in a different outfit each time.

"What about this?" Emily says as she comes out dressed in a loose olive green t-shirt dress with leggings and knee high black boots.

"Honey you look great, you looked great in the last three outfits," Sharon tells her as she adjusts her grip on the bottle Charlie was suckling hungrily from, "And besides. He's seen you in a hospital gown. I think anything else you wear is going to be a step up."

"Mom," Emily rolls her eyes.

"You look great," Sharon repeats, "I like the shirt, it goes with your eyes."

"Okay," Emily says with a sigh, looking in the mirror they had in the living room and straightening out her hair. She runs her fingers through the long locks, pulling apart the curls at the bottom. She looks away from her reflection as Sharon pulls the bottle away from Charlie before lifting her to her shoulder to burp her, "You sure you don't mind watching her? I can always take her with me."

"Not at all," Sharon shakes her head as she pats the baby's back.

"I shouldn't be gone that long," Emily says as she picks up her purse and keys from by the door, "Couple hours tops. There's extra packets in the fridge if she gets hungry again. And I'll have my phone on me."

"I did manage to raise you and your brother you know?" Sharon grins. Emily rolls her eyes again before leaning down to press a kiss to Charlie's cheek.

"Mmm, I miss you already baby."

"Go. We'll be fine," Sharon says, "Have a good time."

"I will," Emily sighs before leaving the house. Sharon presses a kiss to Charlie's head as she lets out a loud burp.

"We'll be fine for a couple hours, hmm?" Sharon tells her as she settles her back in her arms, giving the rest of the bottle back to her.

Emily finds a parking spot a few doors down from the coffee shop that she'd agreed to meet Ron at, backing into the space before getting out and locking the doors. She feeds the meter for a couple hours and puts her wallet back before making her way down to the coffee shop. She waits for a couple people to exit before stepping inside, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head as she looks around. A smile spreads across her face when she sees Ron standing in line. She raises her hand in a small wave before making her way over.

"Hi," Ron says, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek, "No Charlie?"

"Um no," Emily shakes her head, "My mom offered to watch her for a little bit."

"How's your mom doing?"

"Good," Emily smiles, "She's feeling a lot better."

"Good," Ron smiles as they approach the counter, indicating that Emily could order first.

"Can I get a mint tea please?" Emily asks after scanning the menu quickly.

"And I'll do a latte," Ron offers.

"Alright, that will be $8.23," The cashier says, handing a table number over to Emily. Ron pays for their drinks, taking the receipt before walking over to a table by the window with Emily. He pulls out her chair for her, pushing it in once she sits down before taking a seat across from her.

"Thank you," Emily smiles as she sets the number on the edge of her table before setting her purse down by her feet. She flips her hair over her shoulder and rests her hands on the table, "So how has work been?"

"Good," Ron says with a smile, "Busy, but good. Little dull without you guys around."

"You're still doing your residency?"

"Yep, my last year. Once I'm done I'll get my certifications and then I'm an honest to god doctor," Ron tells her, "I'm hoping to stay in LA, but we'll see where it takes me."

"Would you be able to stay at Cedars?"

"I'd love to if they would have me. It's a great hospital to work at." Both Ron and Emily look up as a waitress brings over their drinks and takes the number off of their table. Ron thanks her as Emily pours herself out a cup of tea from the small pot that had been brought over, adding a packet of sugar before swirling her spoon back and forth.

"We could have gone somewhere else if you're not into coffee," Ron says as he takes a sip of his drink, wincing at the heat.

"Trust me I'm into coffee, I used to live on it when I was dancing," Emily smiles after taking a small sip of her drink, wrapping her hands around the cup to warm them, "I just didn't drink it much while I was pregnant. And I made the mistake of having a cup a couple days ago, Charlie was wired all day...I literally don't think I've ever seen her that awake since she was born. My mom's always been a tea drinker though, so it's been my fallback."

"Are you still dancing?"

"I'm on maternity leave right now. There's still some question of whether or not my knee will be strong enough for me to keep doing it professionally after the accident," Emily explains, "If not, I could still teach dance, but I've also been looking into going back to school. Maybe marketing or museum studies."

"That sounds like fun," Ron says with a smile. Emily rolls her eyes with a grin.

"Going back to school at thirty, sounds thrilling." The two of them spend a while talking, splitting a second pot of tea after they finish their initial drinks. Emily's phone dings from her bag and she digs for it, looking at the screen with a furrowed brow.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Emily says as she taps out a message before locking her phone and looking at Ron with a smile, "I just didn't realize we'd been talking so long. My mom was just seeing if I was going to be back soon. Cop parents, always worrying."

"Can't blame them," Ron says with a smile, looking at his own watch, "Wow. We have been here for a while."

"I should get going," Emily sighs sadly, "Charlie's probably going to be hungry again by the time I get home."

"Let me walk you to your car," Ron says, "I need to get back to the hospital anyway."

"Okay," Emily nods, getting up from her seat before picking up her purse. She taps out another message to Sharon before wrapping her arm around Ron's and letting him walk her to her car. Emily takes her keys out from her jacket and unlocks her car as they approach it, "This is me."

"Nice ride."

"Second one I've had in less than a year," Emily laughs, standing so she's facing him, "Last one got totaled when we were in the accident."

"That sucks," Ron sympathizes. Emily shrugs and smiles, looking up into his blue eyes.

"I had a good time today," Emily tells him.

"Me too," Ron agrees, "Maybe we could do this again?"

"Yeah," Emily nods, a blush coloring her cheeks, "I would like that."

"The next schedule is out tonight, I'll text you and let you know when I work?"

"Sounds good. I'll be waiting," Emily murmurs. Ron leans down and presses a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. Emily smiles as he pulls back, her eyes lighting up.

"You know, I'm glad I met you, Emily Raydor," Ron says, winking at her before heading off down the block, intending on walking back to the hospital. Emily lets out a soft sigh as she watches him go before getting in the car and pulling out of her spot. She makes her way back home, parking behind Sharon's car. She stops at the front door and picks up a package propped up next to it, before pushing her way into the house.

"Mom, I'm back," Emily calls out as she drops her keys in the bowl and takes her boots off, padding into the living room.

"How was it?" Sharon asks in a drowsy voice as she lays stretched out on the couch with Charlie on her chest, asleep.

"We had a good time," Emily says as she sits on the edge of the coffee table.

"You going to see him again?"

"Yeah I think so," Emily nods, reaching out to take Charlie from her mother, shushing the baby as she whines and snuggling her close. Sharon sighs as she pulls her blouse away from her chest a couple times, shaking it out.

"Gosh, she is quite the little heater," Sharon comments. Emily laughs and nods in agreement, rubbing Charlie's back. Sharon rolls onto her side with another yawn, tucking her arm under head.

"He's supposed to get his next schedule tonight," Emily tells her, "He said he would text me."

"Good," Sharon smiles, "I'm glad you like him."

"Me too," Emily smiles, "What did you guys do while I was gone?"

"Took a couple laps of the neighborhood, had a nice nap. Andy called a little bit ago, that's what woke me up and I noticed how long you had been gone."

"Sorry, time just got away from us," Emily apologizes.

"It's okay," Sharon shrugs, "Taking a nap with Charlie is hardly a chore."

"Oh there was something delivered while I was out," Emily says as she gets up and grabs the package before handing it to Sharon. Sharon sits up on the couch, her brow furrowing as she looks at the label before grabs the pull tab on the box and opening it.

"Mmm, I'd forgotten about ordering this," Sharon says as she pulls out a large bubble wrapped frame. She undoes the bubble wrap before turning the frame around and showing Emily. She had gotten a 16"x20" print of their family picture from earlier in the year framed in a floating frame, "I was thinking about putting it up over the fireplace."

"I think that would look nice," Emily says as she looks at the picture and frame, "They did a good job with this."

"Mmhm," Sharon nods as she admires it herself before setting it next to the couch, "I'll have Andy put it up this weekend."

"Have you guys talked any more about the wedding?"

"Not recently," Sharon says as she takes a deep breath, "It'll happen...I'm not worried."

"I know, it's just been a while since you got engaged..."

"It's been a while since we started dating," Sharon grins, "In the scheme of things it's been nothing since we got engaged."

"Semantics Mom. I'm not wheeling you down the aisle in a wheel chair," Emily teases.

"That's what you think," Sharon fires back before pushing herself up off the couch, "I'm going to take another walk around the block. I should be about 20 minutes or so. Andy might get home before I get back."

"Okay," Emily nods, "I'm probably going to feed her and maybe lay down with her for a little bit."

Sharon takes a slow lap of the block, making her way towards the house as she sees Andy's patrol car pull into the driveway. She walks up the driveway and smiles at him as he opens his door and gets out.

"Hey you."

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Andy asks as he shuts the door, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"I just took a quick lap…well the quick part is relative," Sharon smiles.

"It's good to see you up and around."

"How was work?" Sharon asks.

"No, no, no," Andy shakes his head with a grin, "You're going to have to try harder than that."

"I'm just simply asking how your day was."

"My day was fine, I missed you," Andy says, "Now what would you like for dinner?"

Sharon narrows her eyes at Andy, unamused, "You're not funny, Lieutenant."

"Last chance for dinner requests. Or you get mashed potatoes and tomato soup again," Andy says, arching his eyebrows at her.

"Chicken noodle soup?" Sharon suggests.

"You don't get the chicken."

"That's fine," Sharon says, "Being able to chew anything would be nice…even if they're soft carrots and noodles."

"Okay, one order of chicken noodle soup coming up," Andy smiles.

* * *

[TBC]


	22. Chapter 22

Sharon sinks down into the theater seat a few rows back from the front. She sets Charlie's carseat in the open chair next to her before lifting the little girl out and settling her on her lap. She runs her fingers through her thin hair and presses a kiss to her cheek. Charlie lets out a loud coo, her tiny voice reverberating through the empty theater.

"Shhhh," Sharon smiles as she rubs Charlie's belly, waving at Emily as she looks up from stretching, "You've never seen Mama dance before."

Emily pushes herself to her feet as her director comes out, shaking our her legs before letting out a long breath. He walks her through what he was expecting her to dance through in order to judge whether or not she was going to be able to continue dancing with them. Sharon watches in anticipation as Emily nods that she was ready before music starts to play.

Emily ably dances through two pieces, moving confidently in time with the music, but starting to fall behind halfway through the second piece. Sharon watches as she pauses before the third piece, leaning heavily on her healthy side. Determination set on Emily's face as she took her position for the third piece and Sharon clutched Charlie a little closer as she hears the music for the Kitri variation of Don Quixote start. It had never been one of Emily's favorite pieces, and she herself had ended her career on the variation, tearing her ACL during one of the jumps.

Emily started dancing in time with the movement and Sharon felt like she was watching a train wreck. Her pirouettes were wobbly as she balanced her weight on her injured leg, and on the third jump she hit the ground, crying out in pain. She stands from her seat, trying to judge if she needed to rush to Emily as the music was cut and the director walked over to her.

Emily thanks him as he helps her up, shaking him off with a flick of her head as she keeps the weight off of her knee. Sharon watches as they exchange a few quiet words before he puts a hand on Emily's shoulder, squeezing and disappearing off the stage. Emily hangs her head for a moment before walking to grab her bag with a slight limp. She changes out of her pointe shoes and pulls on a pair of sneakers, slinging the bag over her shoulder and descending the stairs.

Sharon puts Charlie in her car seat and buckles her in before standing to meet her daughter. Emily drops her bag to the ground and flings herself into her mother's arms, bursting into tears. Sharon wraps her arms around Emily and rubs her back, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Shhh…you're okay, I've got you," Sharon murmurs as she rocks her back and forth.

"I hate him, I hate him so much," Emily wails into Sharon's shoulder, fisting Sharon's cardigan in her hands as she holds on tight to her mother.

"I know," Sharon whispers, looking over as Charlie's bottom lip sticks out and she lets out a few pitiful whimpers out before starting to cry as well. Emily pulls back and furiously wipes at her eyes before turning around to pick up Charlie.

"I'm sorry, ladybug," Emily murmurs as she unbuckles her before picking her up, peppering gentle kisses against her cheek as she sniffles herself. Sharon picks up Emily's bag and Charlie's car seat, nudging the two girls out of the auditorium. Emily manages to get her daughter calmed down by the time they get out to the car, giving her her pacifier. Sharon buckles the carseat in and lets Emily get Charlie buckled in before she wraps her arms around her again.

"I know it seems like the world is ending right now, but you're going to be fine," Sharon murmurs, rubbing her hand up and down Emily's back, "You've got a whole new world ahead of you."

"I just wanna dance," Emily whimpers, trying to avoid a new set of tears.

"I know," Sharon says pressing a kiss to her head before looking at her watch, "We have a little bit before I have to be at my physical. How about some ice cream hmm?"

"That sounds good," Emily says in a pitifully small voice.

"Good," Sharon smiles, pulling back and cupping Emily's face in her hands. She swipes her thumbs over her daughter's cheeks, drying them off before pressing a kiss to her forehead, "You ride, I'll drive."

"Thanks, Mom," Emily whispers before getting into the passenger seat. Sharon goes around to the driver's side and turns the car on before pulling into traffic. She drives them to an ice cream parlor that was close to where she needed to get her physical done, managing to find a parking spot close by. Emily gets Charlie out and follows her mother inside.

Both of them get a scoop of their favorites before taking a seat next to the window at a small table. Emily digs her phone out after she hears it ding a couple times, reading over the text messages she'd received from Ron before replying to them and putting her phone down on the table.

"Ron?"

"Yeah," Emily nods as she digs out a bite of cookie dough, "He was asking how it went. He's still supposed to be at work for a few more hours."

"You guys going out tonight?"

"We were going to grab dinner somewhere once he's off…I'm going to take Charlie with me."

"Okay," Sharon nods. Emily speaks back up after a couple moments.

"He's so great…I really like him."

"It seems like it," Sharon comments, "You guys spend a lot of time together. He seems to enjoy spending time with Charlie."

"He loves her," Emily smiles, "She's pretty partial to him."

"Any L words mentioned yet?"

"Lawyers? Lesbians? Lobotomies?" Emily grins. Sharon rolls her eyes and reaches over to steal a scoop of Emily's ice cream, "No. Not yet. I don't know that we're there. Soon, maybe."

"No rush," Sharon smiles.

"Maybe not for you and Andy," Emily teases.

"You're so funny, Em," Sharon says, "I was talking to Andy the other day about the wedding…we were thinking maybe late May. Something small, outside, cookout at the house after?"

"Can I help you plan it?"

"Sure," Sharon nods. Emily claps her hands and smiles.

"Perfect!" She exclaims, "I have so many ideas."

"Small, Em. Small and casual," Sharon reminds her daughter.

"Still have plenty of ideas," Emily grins before finishing her ice cream. She grabs Sharon's empty cup and takes them over to the trash before wiping her hands off on a napkin.

"How does your knee feel?" Sharon asks as Emily makes her way back, picking up Charlie's carseat.

"It's okay, little sore…" Emily shrugs, "How close is this place? Can we walk?"

"Yeah just a few doors down," Sharon says as she gets up, wiping the palms of her hands off on her jeans before following Emily out of the parlor. They make their way down to the doctors office before heading to the specific office Sharon needed to go to. Emily takes a seat in the waiting room as Sharon checks in, sitting Charlie's seat on the floor in front of her before leaning down to pick her up.

"How's my little ladybug?" Emily grins at her as she presses a kiss to her cheek. Charlie lets out a happy sound as a smile spreads across her face. Sharon sits down next to Emily with a clipboard and a pen in her hand and a grumpy sigh, "What?"

"I swear I've filled out more paperwork in the last two months since I got shot than I have in my entire career in the LAPD," Sharon says as she begins to fill out the questionnaires she'd been provided.

"Well that's saying something," Emily laughs. Sharon manages to get the papers filled out just before the nurse calls her back, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Sharon says, leaving her purse with Emily before following the nurse back to her examination. Emily sighs and settles back in her chair, putting her foot up on Charlie's carseat before getting her latched on and opening a magazine.

After finishing a thorough physical, Sharon sighs as she sits on the edge of the examination table in the hospital gown she'd been provided. She watches as the doctor looks over all of her results before turning to face her.

"So?" Sharon asks with an expectant look.

"So I can release you to go back to work on desk duty right now," The doctor says, dropping his hands into his lap, "I think that any extensive field work is going to set your recovery back. You're doing well, but theres still a lot of internal items that need to come together and you need to build your stamina back up. So if you keep up the exercise, adding a bit more as time goes on, I think we can get you back out into the field in the next few months."

"What about other things?"

"Other things?" The doctor asks and Sharon arches her eyebrow again in a more knowing look, "Oh. Right. Well I wouldn't advise any acrobatics, but I don't see why you can't resume activities in the bedroom. I'd like you to keep your weight lifting under 30 pounds...at least for a few more weeks."

"Thanks," Sharon smiles.

"Were there any other questions you had?"

"No, I think that about covers it," Sharon blushes.

"Go ahead and get dressed. Make an appointment for a couple months from now and we'll see about getting you back out in the field," The doctor says as he stands up and shakes Sharon's hand before heading out of the room. Sharon changes back into her clothes and grabs the printouts she'd been given before heading back out to the waiting room. She makes her follow up appointment before making her way over to where Emily was sitting. Both of the girls had dozed off and were sleeping soundly in the quiet waiting room. Sharon leans down and nudges Emily's shoulder whispering her name softly. She jerks awake before relaxing and yawning when she realizes where they were.

"Sorry, must have dozed off..." Emily mumbles as she sits up with another yawn, "Everything go okay?"

"Yeah, they're letting me back on desk duty for now," Sharon says as she takes Charlie and gets her tucked into her carseat, "I want to stop by PAB and drop the paperwork off before we head home."

"Sure," Emily nods, pushing herself into a standing position before grabbing Charlie's car seat and following her mom out, "Should we pick up lunch for the guys?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let me text Andy and see if they're in the office," Sharon says, pulling out her phone and sending off a text on their way back to the car. Emily gets Charlie buckled in the back before Sharon's phone dings with Andy's response, "He says they're just working on paperwork right now, so why don't we go to the deli?"

"Sure," Emily nods with a smile, getting into the car with Sharon again. The girls pick up an order of various things from the deli around the corner from the PAB before making their way up to the Major Crimes office. Sharon greets the team as she sets down food on one of the empty desks before making her way over to her fiance, trusting the team to get distracted by the introduction of lunch and Charlie's presence. Andy smiles and stands up when he sees her coming over, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Hi."

"Hi," Sharon smiles as she settles into his hold.

"How did your appointment go?"

"Good," Sharon nods, "He's clearing me for desk duty, wants me to wait a couple more months before field work. I'm going to drop my paperwork off at HR before we leave."

"That's great," Andy grins, "It'll be good to have you back."

"I don't even want to look in my office right now," Sharon grumbles playfully. Andy laughs and squeezes her slightly, looking up to see if the team was occupied before looking down at Sharon with a discreetly arched eyebrow.

"Anything else that he might have mentioned?"

"Maybe," Sharon teases as she tugs on his tie playfully, "I guess you'll have to be home on time tonight to find out. Emily and Charlie are supposed to be meeting Ron for dinner."

Andy lets out a soft groan before Sharon winks and pushes back from him, moving over to where the team was congregated eating lunch.

"So, Captain, I hear we finally get to have you back," Julio comments as Sharon joins the group.

"Yes," Sharon nods with a smile, "Hopefully next Monday, provided my paperwork gets processed on time."

"It'll be good to have you around again," Tao pipes up.

"I'm sure I'll be tied up in paperwork for a few days. Won't I, Lieutenant?," Sharon says, winking at Provenza. He rolls his eyes back at her, a small grin forming on his lips.

* * *

[TBC]


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes:** Thanks for the responses! I'm glad people are still enjoying this story!

* * *

Sharon walks to the front door as the doorbell rings, checking the peephole before pulling it open with a smile.

"Ron, it's good to see you," Sharon says as she opens the door wider to let him in, "Emily's almost ready, she was just getting Charlie dressed."

"It's okay, I'm a little early," Ron comments as he steps inside. He had changed out of his scrubs from work and exchanged them for a nice pair of jeans and a button down, "How is she doing?"

"She's been better, but not too awful," Sharon relays, slipping her hands into her front pockets, "Where are you headed to for dinner?"

"The Strand House," Ron shrugs, "It's down on Manhattan Beach and sounded like a good place."

"I think I've heard of that. Sounds like you guys are going to have a nice night."

"Hopefully," Ron smiles, looking over as Emily comes down the hallway with Charlie in her arms.

"Hey, sorry we're running late."

"It's okay," Ron says, leaning over to kiss Emily before taking Charlie. Charlie coos and grins at him as he lifts her up over his head, "How's my little ladybug!?"

"Don't shake her too much," Emily warns, "She just ate."

"You wouldn't throw up on me," Ron says as he brings her down to kiss her cheek, "Would you?"

"She did it to Andy the other day," Emily says as she grabs her purse and Charlie's diaper bag, "Ready?"

"I am," Ron nods, keeping a hold on Charlie, "I grabbed the carseat out of your car."

"Perfect," Emily smiles before kissing Sharon's cheek, "We'll be back later, have a good night."

"You too," Sharon says, hugging her daughter before leaning over to kiss Charlie on the nose. She walks the three of them out before shutting the door behind them and returning to the kitchen to check on the dinner she was making for herself and Andy. She cracks the oven open to check on its contents before closing it when she hears the front door.

Andy shrugs his suit jacket off and hangs it on the coat rack before taking his gun and badge off, putting the gun into the safe they had in the coat closet. He shuts the door on the box and closes the door before making his way into the kitchen. Sharon smiles at him as he comes in, making her way over to him and pressing her lips to his.

"You're even early," Sharon greets.

"I was given an incentive to get my paperwork done on time," Andy grins, wrapping his arms around Sharon's waist, "Smells good, what are you making?"

"Chicken stuffed with mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes," Sharon says, "It'll be about another 20 minutes and I need to get the vegetables done still if you want to go get changed and washed up?"

"Sounds like a plan," Andy murmurs and leans down to kiss Sharon again, lingering for a moment before pulling back and heading towards the bedroom. Sharon lets out a small hum before returning to the counter to finish cutting up the vegetables she'd been working on before Ron had arrived. She gets dinner finished up and put on the dining room table before biting her lip and grabbing a candle out of the hutch. She sets it on the table and lights it, turning the overhead lights down slightly before taking off her apron and tossing it onto the kitchen counter. She fluffs her hair in the mirror, grinning at Andy as he comes up behind her.

"Hi handsome," Sharon winks before turning around and pressing a kiss to his lips again.

"Hi beautiful," Andy says as he rubs his hands up Sharon's back, taking a moment to admire her before guiding her over to the table and pulling her chair out for her.

"Thank you," Sharon says as she takes a seat, smiling at Andy as he takes a seat across from her.

"This looks great," Andy comments as he spreads his napkin out on his lap before picking up his cutlery.

"Thank you," Sharon says as she cuts off her first bite.

"How did Emily's trial go?" Andy asks as he works on cutting into his chicken. Sharon rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she chews. She swallows and sighs as she cuts off another bite.

"Not well," Sharon says, taking another bite before expanding, "She made it through a couple pieces but faltered on the third one. Same one I hurt myself on in my early twenties. They're not confident that her knee can ever get back into proper shape, so they have to cut her."

"How's she holding up?" Andy inquires.

"She was…upset after. To say the least. I think she'll feel better once she figures out what she's going to do next. I wanted to give her a little more time before I pushed her about it," Sharon explains, stabbing a couple pieces of asparagus with her fork, "She seems to be enjoying her time with Ron though so that's a good thing I suppose."

"It is," Andy agrees, "Where were they headed to for dinner tonight?"

"Manhattan beach, some swanky restaurant down there," Sharon tells him. The two of them chat through the rest of dinner and Andy helps Sharon clean up their dishes. He nudges the dishwasher shut and presses the button to start it before turning to trap Sharon against the counter. She grins as she continues wiping it down, shifting her stance back slightly and bumping her hips into Andy's.

"I remember you mentioning something about dessert earlier today," Andy murmurs as he swipes her hair to the side before pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Did I now?" Sharon hums as she swipes the rag against the counter one last time before turning around in Andy's hold, meeting his eyes with hers, "You sure you're _up_ for dessert? I don't want you to over eat."

"Oh I'm up for it," Andy grins as he grabs her by the hips and presses his lips to hers in a hungry kiss. Sharon groans as she kisses him back, her hands slipping under the zip up sweater he was wearing. She pulls away after a moment and nips at his bottom lip before looking up at him through her lashes. She hooks her fingers in his sweater before pushing him back from their position on the counter. She pulls him down the hallway towards their bedroom, biting her bottom lip in anticipation before pressing him against the door.

"I've missed this," Sharon murmurs, as she gently kisses Andy.

"Me too," Andy replies, his hands slipping under her shirt as he holds her close. He shuffles his hands up her smooth skin, pushing the shirt up along the way. Sharon lets go of Andy and lifts her arms so he can pull the fabric off. She immediately begins to unbutton Andy's shirt, not giving him a chance to focus on her just yet. She impatiently tugs the fabric off and smooths her fingers up his chest with a low breath. Andy walks her back towards the bed as his fingers move over her skin, stroking the exposed pale flesh.

"Andy," Sharon hums, her eyes closing as his hands cup her breasts through her bra. His thumbs massage her nipples through the lacy fabric and his lips trail over the exposed skin of the mounds.

"You taste so good," Andy whispers against her skin. Sharon pulls his mouth up to hers and kisses him hungrily as she works on undoing his belt. She tosses the leather to the floor and undoes the button and fly of his suit pants, letting the material pool at his feet. Her fingers trail up the bulge in his boxers and she grins as he groans into her mouth.

"Oh!" Sharon gasps as Andy pushes her back onto the bed undoing the button and fly on her jeans before tugging the tight fabric down her legs. He kicks his pants off and tosses hers in the same direction, rubbing his palms up her bare thighs as he drags his eyes over her body. Sharon shifts uncomfortably as his eyes trail over the scar on her side, lifting her hand to cover it. Andy grabs her hand and pins it down as he looks into her eyes, "Andy…"

"Don't cover it," Andy says, leaning down to press soft kisses along the length of the pink skin. Sharon bites her lips and moans as her hand drops to the bed. Andy moves his mouth across her abdomen before slipping his hands under her body to undo the clasp on her bra. He pulls off the scrap of fabric, his mouth immediately latching onto one of her nipples.

"Oh my god," Sharon whimpers, feeling a flush of heat rush through her system. Andy teases his mouth back and forth across her breasts as his hand slips into the front of her underwear. Sharon gasps as his fingertips trail over her. His mouth moves down from her chest, his tongue trailing down her stomach and dipping into her navel. He pushes her underwear down as he moves and dips his tongue into her center, lapping up the moisture there.

Sharon moans loudly, her fingers tangling in Andy's short hair and tugging him closer. His tongue moves eagerly over the wet skin, teasing and sucking as he draws more moans and whimpers out of Sharon. Her nails scrape gently over his scalp as her hips move before Andy latches onto her clit, teasing it mercilessly. Sharon's thighs snap around Andy's head as her back arches and she cries out his name, her eyes clenched tight as her orgasm sweeps through her body.

Sharon pants heavily as her grip on Andy loosens. He kisses his way up her body before pressing his lips to hers in a languid kiss as he settles between her legs. Sharon hums as she cups his face in her hands and smiles lazily at him. Andy grins back at her and brushes her hair back from her forehead.

"Alright?"

"I am very alright," Sharon murmurs, giving Andy another quick kiss before stroking her hands down his back.

"Good," Andy presses a kiss to her forehead and her nose before capturing her lips again, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon whispers. The two spend the rest of their evening in bed, taking the time to re-explore each others bodies. Sharon groans as she sinks down to the mattress, trying to straighten out the sheets before giving up and dropping her head against Andy's ankle and chuckling as she runs her hand through her hair. Andy lets out a low laugh himself, both of them still panting slightly. Her nails scrape gently down his calf, against the coarse hair that lined his legs, "I can't wait to marry you…"

"You know this comes without getting married right?" Andy grins at her. Sharon rolls her eyes and roughly plucks a leg hair, "Ow!"

"Sorry," Sharon grins impishly. She shifts and sits up, leaning forward to kiss Andy, "You make me very happy Andy Flynn, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"You make me very happy too, Sharon," Andy murmurs against her lips. Sharon slips out of bed after kissing Andy back, pulling his button up on and fastening a few of the buttons.

"I'm going to grab a glass of water, you want anything?"

"I'm good," Andy says, folding his arms behind his head. Sharon winks at him before venturing down the hallway. She pads into the kitchen and turns the light over the range on before getting down a glass and filling it with ice before starting to run water over the cubes. She turns the faucet off and takes a small sip, jumping when she hears Emily's voice.

"You're up late," Emily comments, leaning in the doorway of the kitchen with Charlie's carseat hanging at the end of her arm.

"Just got up to get a glass of water. How was your evening?" Sharon asks as she walks over to Emily, taking another sip.

"It was good," Emily says before gesturing to her neck, "You've got a little something…"

Sharon lifts her hand to her neck and makes a small face as she feels a tender section of skin there that was most likely turning wonderful colors. She drops her hand and shrugs with a small smile and a hum as she moves to pass Emily and head back to her room, "Your lipstick is smudged…Night honey."

* * *

[TBC]


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes:** thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter :D

* * *

Emily sighs as she walks around the salon, pulling a couple additional dresses before handing them to the assistant that was helping Sharon.

"Can you see if she likes these? She looks good in this style," Emily describes before going to sit on the couch with Nicole who was occupying Charlie. Gavin and Andrea were also lingering around the store, looking at different dresses while they waited for Sharon to come out in the first one.

Sharon and Andy had decided on the Friday before Memorial Day to get married, figuring that an afternoon wedding and cook out to follow at the house would be a good kick off to the three day weekend. Major Crimes was off the schedule for that particular weekend so they planned to take advantage of their three days automatically off and add a fourth to make a short trip to Mexico for their honeymoon.

Once they had decided on a date Emily had started putting together ideas for the wedding, occasionally running them by her mother, trying to set a general theme before insisting that they go dress shopping. She had asked Nicole, Gavin, and Andrea to come along to help Sharon pick out a dress for the big day. Sharon had tried to insist that she didn't need a fancy dress that she could just pick out something at Nordstrom's, but had gotten push back from her daughter and friends to at least try looking at a proper dress salon.

The assistant comes out a couple minutes later just before Sharon comes out in the first dress. She steps up onto the pedestal and looks apprehensively at her daughter. Emily smiles reassuringly as she gets up and walks over.

"It's cute, I mean it's a gorgeous dress. It's just…"

"Not really me?" Sharon says as she spins around to look at the back of the dress. She enjoyed the lace work on the top of the dress, but the skirt wasn't her style nor was the neckline.

"Right," Emily nods in agreement, "I like the color though…"

"Okay," Sharon nods before picking up the skirt of the dress and going back to the dressing room. She rotates through a few more selections, continuing to find things that she didn't necessarily enjoy about them and getting feed back from everyone. Emily had sent back a few more ideas, trying to figure out exactly what her mom was looking for before the assistant starts rifling through the racks and pulls out a dress.

"I think this might be what she's looking for," She says as she holds it up to Emily.

"It's gorgeous," Emily breathes, reaching out to touch the lace, "What is it?"

"It's a Rime Arodaky, we actually just got it in recently. I think only a couple girls have tried it on. Should I take it back?"

"Yes, please," Emily nods enthusiastically. Sharon returns a few moments later in the dress, taking a deep breath before she steps up onto the pedestal. The top part of the dress was a boatneck, long sleeve piece made out of Calais lace with an open revealing back, buttoned together at the base of Sharon's neck. The back had scalloped edges, dipping down to the small of Sharon's back where they disappeared beneath the top of the skirt. The silk skirt was gently pleated and gently wrapped around her waist with a thin ribbon and draped gently against the ground as she stood at her natural height.

Sharon swallows before looking herself over in the mirror, her hands shaking slightly as she brushes her hands over the skirt. She takes her time to look over the dress in the mirror, admiring how it sat against her form even without any alterations. The shade of white against her skin was perfect and she runs her fingers over the lace, biting her lip as her eyes tear up.

"Mom?" Emily asks.

"It's perfect," Sharon whispers. She could picture herself standing across from Andy in their back yard in this dress, promising her heart and the rest of her life to him. She could picture him twirling her across the dance floor for their first dance, his fingers skimming across her bare back.

"It looks great," Emily smiles, looking at everyone else for confirmation that the dress looked great on her. Gavin nods in agreement, stepping forward to walk around Sharon.

"Much better than that monstrosity you wore in the 80s," Gavin comments with a teasing grin and Andrea nods in agreement.

"Lots of taffeta in the 80s," Andrea says. Sharon rolls her eyes and reaches up to brush a tear from her eye as she chuckles.

"You both hated that dress."

"You loved it," Gavin says with a shrug, "I think the Lieutenant is going to try to rip it off you the moment he sees you."

"Gavin!" Both Emily and Nicole exclaim, making faces of disgust as Charlie lets out a chortle of happiness and Andrea lets out a chuckle of her own. Sharon laughs and shakes her head at her best friend before looking at the assistant.

"I think we'll take this one."

"Sure," The assistant smiles at Sharon, "We can definitely do that."

Sharon goes back to change into her own clothes before coming back out and starting to finish the process. She fills out the order for the dress and signs her name across the bottom as she hands over her credit card, biting her lip slightly at the price of the creation. Sharon shakes her head and sighs, they weren't spending much on the wedding, she could splurge a little on the dress. She makes her appointment to come back for alterations and scribbles her name across the bottom of the receipt before putting her card back in her wallet. She thanks the assistant before turning to face Emily and the rest of the group with a smile.

"One of you is paying for lunch right? My wallet is a little light" Sharon jokes as she follows the group out of the salon. They make their way down a couple blocks to a cafe, enjoying a group lunch before beginning to disperse. Gavin leans into Sharon as they walk back to their cars, Andrea coming up on her other side.

"So, bachelorette party," Gavin says.

"No," Sharon shakes her head.

"Come on, Sharon," Andrea says.

" _No_ ," Sharon reiterates as she gets her keys out.

"Wine, crappy movies, chocolate," Gavin says, trying to convince her, "I doubt you're going to let us help you pick out your wedding night lingerie, we might as well get you liquored up."

"No to both of those," Sharon says as she opens her car door.

"You know he's not going to let it go," Andrea reminds her.

"Try again tomorrow then," Sharon says before kissing Gavin on the cheek and hugging Andrea, "I'll see you guys later. Thank you for coming."

"Brunch next weekend right?" Gavin confirms and Sharon nods before waving them both off and getting in the car. She makes her way home and pulls into the driveway behind Emily's car, greeting Andy when she comes in.

"Hi handsome," Sharon murmurs as she kisses Andy softly, wrapping her arm around his waist, "How has your morning been?"

"Good," Andy smiles and kisses her again, "Em said you found a dress?"

"Mmhm," Sharon nods, "I did. I think you're going to like it."

"I like everything you wear," Andy grins.

"Is Emily putting the baby down?" Sharon asks. Andy nods and kisses her again. She hums as she kisses him back and slips her fingers into his hair, pulling him a little closer.

"I wouldn't suggest trying to swallow him before you marry him," Emily says as she steps into the kitchen, making her way to the fridge and getting a bottle of water. Sharon pulls back from Andy and arches her eyebrow playfully at her fiancé. Andy chuckles and kisses her on the nose before letting her go. Sharon yawns before running her fingers through her hair, her eyes drooping slightly as the exhaustion from running around all morning hits her.

"I think I'm going to go lay down for a little bit," She tells Andy, running her hand down his chest and hooking her finger in one of the buttons on his shirt, "Have you thought about dinner?"

"I was still going to run to the store today, any requests?"

"No, pick up whatever you want. I can cook."

"That's still questionable," Andy teases before kissing Sharon, "Go. Lay down, I'll take care of groceries and dinner."

"Don't be mean," Sharon tugs on his shirt with a narrow eyed look before kissing his cheek and heading down the hall towards the bedroom. Andy turns to Emily and grabs their list they kept on the fridge.

"Is there anything you need from the store?" He asks as he adds a couple more things.

"I think we're almost out of coconut milk if you want to get some. Otherwise I'm good," Emily smiles, sitting down at the table with a couple folders and a notebook.

"Alright, I'll be back in a little while," Andy tells Emily and she nods with a smile and grabs the calculator on the basket on the table. He grabs his keys and wallet before leaving the house and heading to the store. He gets home a little over an hour later, carrying a few grocery bags inside in time to watch Emily fling the calculator she'd been using across the table with a disgruntled sound and drop her head into her hands, "Everything okay?"

"No," Emily grumbles, "Stupid numbers won't work."

"Well numbers don't really have a tendency to lie," Andy says as he sets the groceries on the counter, starting to put them away, "What are you working on?"

"Trying to figure out a budget," Emily says with a sigh, looking over all of the scratch work in front of her, "Marnie still wants me to teach if I feel up to it. If I keep doing that that will cover most of my expenses without dipping into my savings too much. If I start school in the fall, I'd have to cut back a bit and I'd be spending more money. Yet, either way there's one thing I can't cover."

"What's that?" Andy asks as he closes the fridge, walking over to the table and looking over Emily's shoulder.

"Rent," Emily sighs, "There's no way that after covering all of the expenses that I have enough to be able to afford any kind of safe or decent apartment around here while going to school and working part time and raising Charlie."

"So, stay here," Andy shrugs, going back to putting groceries away.

"I can't stay here, Mom said a year. Enough time for me to have the baby and get back on my feet afterwards," Emily explains, leaning back in her chair and looking over at him.

"That wasn't hard and fast, that was just what she was offering figuring you'd be a full time dancer again by that point," Andy assures Emily as he closes the pantry before putting their reusable bags away, "We're not just going to throw you out on the street because it's been a year. You are always welcome here, Emily."

"Still I feel bad."

"Why? You pay rent, you help out around the house. Your mom loves having you and Charlie around. You're not a burden," Andy tells her. Emily sighs and drops her head down to the table with a groan.

"This is the first time I've ever felt like being an adult is hard," She whines. Andy chuckles and sets a glass of water down next to her.

"Look, you want to figure this out? Get your numbers together, get organized. And we can sit down and talk about the next steps forward with your mom," Andy tells her, "We can figure something out, you don't have to do this on your own."

"Okay," Emily says, sitting back up before starting to gather her stuff together, "Thanks, Andy."

"No problem kid," Andy says patting her on the back before looking up as Sharon comes into the kitchen with Charlie, both of their hair rustled from sleep, "Hey you two, good nap?"

"Mmhm," Sharon nods and presses a couple kisses to Charlie's cheek before handing her over to Andy as she reaches out to him. Charlie grins and settles into Andy's hold as he balances her on his arm.

"Hi there, princess!" Andy says as he bounces her. Emily smiles as she cleans everything up, watching Charlie and Andy.

"She has you wrapped around her finger," Sharon says with a smile as she kisses Andy on the cheek before going to grab something to drink.

"You're one to talk," Andy says, arching his eyebrow at her before tickling Charlie on her belly, "Isn't she, Char?"

"What did you end up picking up for dinner?"

"Stuff for stir-fry," Andy tells her, "You want to cook or you want me to?"

"I can cook," Emily offers.

"You don't have to do that honey," Sharon says as she takes a sip of the juice she'd poured herself, rubbing her hand up Emily's back.

"I don't mind. It's not like I'm doing much else," Emily shrugs, throwing a reassuring smile in her mother's direction before rolling her eyes at Andy, "Let me go put this stuff away and I can get started. Do you mind keeping an eye on the baby?"

"Of course not," Sharon smiles, "I don't think Andy's letting Charlie go any time soon."

* * *

[TBC]

Post: If you're interested in looking at the dress that Sharon picked look up the Rime Arodaky in the "Avery" style.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes:** Thanks for the reviews everyone! I think we are on the home stretch of this fic, maybe a couple chapters (including the wedding :D) and a cute little epilogue I'm already cooking up.

* * *

Andy takes his spot at his seat next to Sharon, starting the process of brushing his teeth. He meets her eyes in the mirror as she uses a wipe to clean off the initial pass of makeup from her face.

"What?" Sharon asks as she turns the wipe over.

"I was talking to Emily earlier when I got back from the store," Andy says, pausing in scrubbing his teeth, "She seemed a little…off."

"Off?" Sharon asks before throwing the wipe away. She gets out her face wash and turns the water on, splashing her face before starting to scrub it in.

"Yeah," Andy nods, talking through the toothpaste in his mouth, "Bout money."

"Well she did just lose her job a couple months ago after being on medical leave months before that," Sharon says, "I'd be frustrated too."

"Well," Andy says after spitting his toothpaste out, "I think it's more than just general concerns about her finances."

"Like what?" Sharon asks as she leans her face forward before splashing water over it to clean the suds off.

"Us," Andy says after he rinses his mouth out, "I feel like she's been taking your offer to stay with us a year to heart. That she needs to find a place to live."

"What?" Sharon says, turning to lean against the counter as she looks at Andy, "She doesn't have to leave. She can stay as long as she wants. Right?"

"Right. That's what I told her," Andy says, "I told her to get her numbers together and then the three of us could talk about it and we could work out a solution."

"What was she saying?" Sharon asks, a tiny bit of hurt lingering in her chest that Emily would talk to Andy about it instead of her.

"That working at the dance studio and going back to school, she could afford all of her expenses for herself and Charlie. But that rent at a decent, safe place would be out of the question," Andy tells her, sitting down on the edge of the tub, "From what I could glean from what she was scribbling down. She'd have about $450-500 left over every month without having to dip into her savings."

"Okay," Sharon nods, biting at her thumb nail. She stares off for a moment before taking a deep breath and sighing. She leans over and presses a kiss to Andy's cheek, "Thank you for talking to her…and being so accommodating."

"Anything for family," Andy says with a smile. He turns his head and captures her lips in a gentle kiss, "I'll see you in bed."

"Yes, sir," Sharon smiles, resuming her routine. Andy sheds his shirt on the way, tossing it into the hamper before climbing into his side of the bed and grabbing his book. He puts his reading glasses on and cracks the cover, finding his way to his bookmarked page before starting to read.

Sharon comes out a while later, turning off the light in the bathroom before making her way over to the bed. She shrugs off her robe and drapes it over the chair in her corner of the room before pulling back the covers and getting into bed with Andy. He closes his book and puts it back on his night stand along with his glasses. Sharon shuffles closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"Everything okay?" Andy asks as he wraps his arm around her, pulling the blankets up. Sharon hums and rubs her palm up his chest.

"I've been worrying about her lately," Sharon says, "I've never particularly had to worry about Emily. She was the oldest, she knew what she wanted to do and put her mind to it and did it, but if I honestly think about it I don't know how much…conflict she's had to face. She got what she wanted because she worked for it, but she's never had it taken away from her."

"She's strong," Andy reminds her, "She takes after you."

"She does, but she doesn't have 10 years of conflict resolution and budgeting under her belt like I did at her age," Sharon notes before sitting up on her elbow and looking at Andy, "Do you think she's depressed?"

"I think that she's lost right now. Trying to find her footing," Andy says as he rubs his hand up her back, "She's going to be okay. She just needs to know what's coming next before she'll relax."

"Maybe you're right," Sharon says and drops back down to lay against Andy's shoulder, sighing softly. Andy presses a kiss to her head.

"On another boat, seems like bird number two is getting ready to 'officially' move out," Andy says, "Rusty seems to only really have a few things left here, most of his stuff has been moved over to Gus'."

"He did mention packing everything up a few days ago. I'm not going to rush him to do it. Not like we have a barrage of visitors banging down our doors."

"No, I'm just happy for him. It's great that he finally feels comfortable doing that," Andy says.

"It is," Sharon agrees, pressing a kiss to Andy's chest, "Do you ever think we're going to be truly alone in this house?"

"I hope not…maybe just…a couple days a week," Andy says as he playfully rolls over on top of Sharon, attacking her neck. Sharon lets out a loud laugh and wraps her arms around him, "Of course we could use it as an opportunity to view the lovely hotels of Los Angeles."

"Mmm, it does sound nice but I very much enjoy using our own bed for recreation," Sharon murmurs as she captures Andy's lips.

"Me too," Andy mumbles, his hands slipping under her nightgown.

The next morning Sharon pads down the stairs quietly, having left Andy in bed asleep. The sun was just beginning to rise for the day and the house was still dark. She pauses on the main floor, changing path towards Emily's room and quietly opening the door.

Emily was burrowed up in her blankets, lying on her side facing away from the door and Sharon could see Charlie beginning to wiggle around in her crib. She makes her way across the room and smiles at Charlie before picking her up. She grabs a diaper and wipes off of the dresser before carrying the baby out to the living room. She quickly changes her diaper and warms up a bottle for her before carrying her out back and giving her the bottle as they sit on the porch swing.

Sharon watches the sun rise over the horizon as Charlie eats, painting the city of LA in oranges and golds. After the baby finishes the bottle she sets it down next to her and burps her before snuggling her close and burying her nose into her fine hair. She loved any quiet time she could get with her granddaughter and satisfy her weakness for babies. She'd enjoyed her maternity leave when she had Emily and Ricky, giving her hours on hours to cuddle her babies close and spend quality time with them. Sharon had always wanted more kids after Ricky, but taking the state of her marriage into consideration she'd gotten an IUD when Ricky was a couple months old and then Jack had left.

Emily and Ricky were always enough for her, but there was always a lingering want in the back of her mind that would rear up at a friend's birth announcement or when she went in for her yearly exams and would dodge expecting mothers in the hallway. As the kids got older she geared that want towards the hope that she'd eventually have grandchildren to love and cuddle and spoil. Andy's grandsons had numbed some of that ache but Charlie killed it completely any time she'd yawn and stretch herself out across her chest, her tiny little rosebud mouth opening and closing as she slept.

Sharon looks up as she hears the sliding glass door open, smiling as Emily makes her way out before sinking down next to her mother and tucking her legs up underneath her body. Sharon wraps an arm around her daughter as she keeps hold on her granddaughter, resting her head against Emily's.

"Morning," Sharon murmurs.

"Morning," Emily replies in an equally quiet voice. Sharon's hand strokes up and down Emily's arm as they continue to swing for a while as Charlie takes her early morning nap and Emily clears the cobwebs out of her mind. After a bit longer they hear the coffee grinder in the kitchen, announcing Andy's awakening. Sharon leans over and presses a kiss to Emily's head, squeezing her close for a brief moment before standing up. She hands Charlie back over and reaches up to stroke Emily's cheek softly before going inside.

"You got up early," Andy says as he hands Sharon a mug, steam billowing from the top.

"Couldn't sleep," Sharon says as she takes the mug with a thankful smile, taking a sip, "So I got in a little Charlie time."

"How was that?"

"Perfect," Sharon says with a small shrug. Her hand reaches out and strokes over Andy's clothed chest, a reverent look on her face before she shakes her head and leans up on her toes to kiss him on the lips, "I'm going to go shower. Let's go out for breakfast."

"Okay," Andy says, arching his eyebrow as he watches her walk away and head back upstairs. He steps out onto the back porch and arches his eyebrow at Emily, "Did she say anything to you?"

"No," Emily shakes her head, pushing herself up off the swing, "Just 'Morning'."

"Hmm..." Andy hums before shaking his head.

"Still can't figure her out sometimes hmm?" Emily asks with a smile.

"Every once in a while, she throws a curveball at me," Andy says, "I believe we're going out for breakfast if you want to join us?"

"I think I'll take a rain check," Emily rejects with a small smile, shifting her hold on Charile, "You two deserve a nice morning together. Besides I was going to do some more work on that budget before the class I have this afternoon."

"Okay," Andy nods, patting Emily on the shoulder before making his way upstairs. He sheds his pajamas before getting into the shower behind Sharon.

"Hi there," Sharon says as she runs conditioner through her hair, smiling over her shoulder at Andy.

"Hi," Andy smiles back before grabbing his own shampoo and starting to shower. Sharon gets out a couple moments later and grabs her robe, leaving Andy alone under the spray. She starts getting ready as he finishes up, not doing much with her hair besides clipping it back away from her face. She puts on some basic make up before going to the closet to grab a tank top, stealing one of Andy's worn dress shirts on the way out.

Andy makes his way out of the bathroom a few minutes later. He pauses in rubbing a hand towel over his hair, groaning at the sight before him. Sharon was bent at the waist, starting to work a pair of jean leggings up her legs with her backside displayed perfectly for Andy to look at. She pulls the denim up her long legs, the fabric stretching to fit the curves of her body before she notices Andy's gaze.

"Can I help you?"

"I don't know if even God can help me," Andy rasps as the hand towel falls from his grip and he starts to rub his ear lobe. Sharon chuckles and pulls on the tank top she had picked out, fluffing it to fall over her bra properly. She presses a kiss to Andy's lips as she shrugs his shirt on, straightening out the collar before pulling away.

"Don't take too long," Sharon grins, flashing her eyes at him before heading downstairs. She grabs a pair of shoes from the hall closet before heading into the kitchen and sitting down in a chair to slip them on. Emily was sitting at the table with Charlie, eating a bowl of cereal as she reads the paper, "What are your plans for today?"

"I have a class to teach this afternoon. I've got some stuff around the house I want to do before I leave and then I might meet up with Ron after."

"If we aren't back by the time you leave will you text me and let me know if you'll be home for dinner?"

"Yeah of course," Emily smiles, "Where are you guys going for breakfast?"

"I don't know," Sharon says as she stands with a teasing smile, "I might let Andy pick."

"Let me pick what?" Andy says as he comes down to the main floor dressed in jeans and a nice t-shirt.

"Nothing," Sharon grins before kissing him, "Just kidding. Where we go for breakfast."

"Oh so generous, Captain," Andy says with a smile as he wraps an arm around her waist. Sharon rolls her eyes and kisses him once more before stepping away. She leans down and kisses Emily's temple, her fingers running through her daughter's long brown hair as she kisses Charlie on the head.

"You two have a good day."

"You guys too," Emily says with a smile as she looks up at her mom. Sharon smiles back before following Andy out to the garage.

* * *

[TBC]


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes:** Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in posting. I'm adding the last three chapters of this fic. Thank you so so so much for humoring me with this fic. Your reviews have been great, you've been great, it's been great. Please let me know what you think of the end!

* * *

Sharon leans in the doorway of the dance studio, watching as Emily leads a class of preteen kids. Charlie was sitting in her carseat, gumming on her fist as she watched with wide eyes as well. Emily leads them through a series of twists, turns, and leaps in time with the music occasionally pausing to correct a position.

"Alright let's see if we can do this once in full," Emily says as she makes her way to the stereo, spotting Sharon in the doorway. Sharon lifts her hand in a small wave, smiling at her daughter. Emily offers a small smile back before finishing her trip, restarting the soundtrack, "Alright, positions. 1, 2, 3…"

Sharon watches amazed as the kids move in time with each other and the music. Emily watches them with a practiced eye, walking along the front of the class. Once the music finishes they all come to a resting position and Emily rewards them with a big smile as she claps.

"Great job everyone," She praises, "Looks like we are out of time for tonight. I want you guys to keep practicing, I'd like to get through this movement quickly next class and move on to the next one. We only have a few weeks before the recital and I want you to be able to get through the whole scene by the end of the month and work on tightening up the week before the recital."

"Thank you, Miss Emily," The class choruses before they go to get their bags. Sharon steps out of the doorway to let the kids pass, waiting until they all leave before she approaches Emily who was picking up the studio.

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw your note when we got back from brunch, I thought I'd catch you before you went to Ron's," Sharon says as she rests against the barre, "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Emily says as she puts a couple towels into the studio's laundry. She sinks down to the floor and pulls her bag over, starting to change.

"Andy told me about what you guys talked about," Sharon starts, "About the money."

"I was going to talk to you about that eventually," Emily says with a sigh, pulling her legs together and looking up at her mother, "It's not a big deal really…"

"Emily, I don't want you to think that you have to rush out or anything," Sharon says, "I know things haven't exactly been going your way lately with the accident and then the soloist position…I'm proud that you've dealt with it as best as you have. But you're welcome to stay at the house as long as you want and or need to. When I said a year I figured that would be enough time for you to have the baby and get settled into a routine, that I'd be around to help you get started."

"I get that, Mom, I do. That's not the point," Emily sighs. She looks up at the ceiling of the studio before looking back at Sharon, "I am 31 years old. I have a daughter to take care of. And I can't…I don't want to have to depend on you to make things work. That's not where I should be in my life."

"But that's your circumstance right now. You're doing what you can to make it better, and if you need a little help doing that…"

"I thought moving back to LA was going to make things better," Emily whispers, looking down at the floor. Sharon pushes herself up and walks over, sinking down next to Emily. She wraps her arm around her shoulders and hugs her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Well, Miss Emily," Sharon murmurs, "Better is relative. Can you imagine a life without Charlie now?"

"No," Emily shakes her head, sighing as she lifts her head and rests it against Sharon's shoulder, "Not at all."

"I want you to stay. I want you to fix things. And I'm here to help in any way I can," Sharon says.

"Thank you," Emily hums. Sharon squeezes her tight before letting her go.

"Now I need you to help me up off the floor," Sharon says. Emily laughs and pushes herself up, reaching down to help Sharon before picking up her bag and grabbing Charlie's carseat. Sharon hikes her purse over her shoulder and looks Emily in the eyes, "We're okay?"

"Yeah," Emily nods, "Thank you for coming over."

"Have a good evening with Ron," Sharon says, kissing Emily's cheek before leaning down and giving Charlie a kiss. She makes her way back home, dropping her keys in the bowl before calling out for Andy.

"Living room!" Sharon kicks her shoes off and makes her way to the living room, sinking down onto the couch with Andy. He easily wraps his arm around her and presses a kiss to her head, "Everything good?"

"Yeah, everything's good," Sharon smiles, snuggling into his side and curling her feet under herself.

Before they knew it May had approached and soon the wedding was upon them. Sharon sighs as she closes the sliding glass door to the back yard. She and Andy had spent the day cleaning up the house and decorating the back yard before he had begged off to Provenza's for an evening with the guys. Emily was staying at Ron's with Charlie and she planned on taking advantage of having the house to herself by taking a long hot soak.

She stops on her way upstairs as the doorbell rings, sighing and changing direction. She looks through the peep hole, pausing before opening the door.

"Surprise!"

"What are you two doing here?" Sharon says as Gavin kisses her cheek before pushing inside with Andrea.

"Last night of freedom, we had to come celebrate."

"You two…" Sharon shakes her head.

"I brought your favorite," Gavin says as he pulls a bottle of white out of the bag. Sharon shuts the door and takes the bottle from him, following Andrea into the kitchen as she carries a pizza.

"And I brought pizza."

"Where's Emily?"

"She's staying at Ron's tonight," Sharon says as she opens the bottle of wine before pouring out three glasses. Andrea opens the pizza box and Sharon practically growls as she looks at the melted cheese. Since Andy's blood clot they had maintained a relatively healthy diet and rarely ever indulged in pizza anymore. In fact at the moment she couldn't remember the last time they had ordered in. She reaches out and grabs a slice out of the box, expertly bending it in the middle before groaning as she takes a bit, "Oh god that tastes good."

"Back yard looks nice," Andrea comments as she takes a sip of her wine and looks out at the back door.

"We just decorated this afternoon," Sharon comments, chasing her pizza with a sip of wine as she goes to stand next to Andrea.

"Nervous?" The blonde asks, looking over at her friend as she takes another drink. Sharon shrugs as she takes another bite of the pizza, continuing to look out at the yard before turning to look at Andrea and Gavin.

"I'm ready for it," Sharon says definitively, "Andy and I...we've been through a lot together and I'm just ready for it..."

"But?" Gavin prompts.

"Still doesn't stop the nerves from settling in," She says letting out a short laugh.

"Well that sounds like the perfect segue into bad movies with hot guys in them," Gavin says, holding up a couple DVDs from the bag he had brought with. Sharon laughs and rolls her eyes, following her friends into the living room after grabbing a plate with another slice of pizza.

By the end of the night the three of them had each finished off their own bottle of wine and were considerably more giggly and drunk than when the night began. Sharon was practically curled in on herself laughing hysterically, tears streaming down her face as Gavin imitates a judge he had recently gone up against.

"Oh my god, you have to stop," Sharon begs as she bursts into another fit of giggles, "Or I'm going to pass out."

"Seriously, I swear to god Shar, you never want this guy. He's terrible," Gavin says as he laughs himself, plopping down in one of the arm chairs. Andrea looks at her watch as her own laughter dies down.

"Mm we should get going, it's late and Mrs. Flynn here needs her beauty sleep."

"No, no, no don't go," Sharon says as she puts her empty glass down, "You guys stay for the night."

"We can just get an Uber..." Gavin says, gesturing towards the door as he pulls his phone out.

"No, stay tonight. I'll make breakfast in the morning," Sharon says as she takes Gavin's phone away.

"Heyyy!" Gavin says, going to grab it back from her.

"Chocolate chip pancakes," Sharon plies, holding the phone out of his reach.

"With bacon?" Gavin bargains, his blue eyes flashing behind his glasses. Sharon sighs and rolls her eyes.

"I will defrost the hidden bacon I have in the freezer, just for you," Sharon says as she gives him his phone back before making her way down the hall to the linen closet. She grabs out blankets and pillows for the two of them before bringing them out to the living room, laughing as she trips slightly on the step down into the living room, "Oh, I swear if I wake up with a hangover tomorrow I'm killing both of you."

"I told you we shouldn't have opened that third bottle," Andrea says as she collapses on the chaise part of the couch and pulls a blanket over herself.

"That was the one that _you_ brought," Gavin retorts as he takes the spot along the length of the couch, tossing his glasses on the coffee table.

"Shut up," Andrea says, kicking him.

"Ow!" Gavin exclaims. Sharon giggles as she turns the living room light off before heading upstairs, holding onto the railing. She closes the door to the bedroom behind her, and undresses before sinking onto the bed with a soft groan. She quickly sinks into a deep sleep, her arms wrapped around Andy's pillow.

She jolts awake as she feels a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. It was still dark in the room and she blinks her eyes a few times, trying to clear her vision before she notices Gavin standing over her, holding her phone out.

"It's the Lieutenant."

"Andy?" Sharon asks as she reaches out for the phone.

"No, Provenza. You left your phone downstairs, he's called a few times."

"What's going on, Lieutenant?" Sharon mumbles into the phone as she holds it to her ear. Her mouth was dry and she could already feel a headache forming as she tries to make out the numbers on the clock, only discerning that it was some time after three in the morning.

"It's Andy," was the only thing that Provenza had to say before Sharon was up from bed, heading after a pair of clothes.

"What happened?" Sharon asks as she grabs a pair of jeans from her drawers. She wedges the phone to her shoulder as she pulls them on.

"He woke up a little while ago complaining of chest pains," Provenza explains, "I just got him to the hospital and they took him back."

"Where are you?" Sharon prods as she grabs a cardigan, slinging it on before wrapping her fingers around the phone again.

"St. Vincent's."

"I'm on my way," Sharon says before she hangs up, making her way down the stairs. She reaches out to grab her car keys and Gavin takes them out of her hand.

"We'll drive you. Where are they?"

"St. Vincent's," Sharon whispers.

"What did he say?" Andrea asks as she follows the two of them out to the car, getting into the back seat as Sharon takes the front.

"Chest pains…" Sharon says as she spins her phone in her hand, trying to decide if she needed to worry any of the kids at the moment. She tucks the item in between her legs as she shakes her head, watching the lights pass as they drive.

* * *

[TBC]


	27. Chapter 27

Gavin pulls up into the emergency bay a few minutes later and Sharon gets out, rushing inside. The emergency room wasn't overtly busy but it took her a moment to pick out Provenza who was talking to a nurse. He raises his hand as she makes her way over, walking her over to where Patrice was sitting.

"What's going on?" Sharon asks them, a worried look in her green eyes and a throbbing in her head.

"The information Patrice could get out of them is that they're still running tests, but they're pretty sure it was a heart attack," Provenza tells her.

"Oh god," Sharon whimpers, "He just saw the cardiologist last week, she said he'd been doing good since the blood clot!"

"Here is the doctor now," Patrice indicates as a man in a white coat and scrubs makes his way over to them.

"You guys are here with Andy Flynn?"

"This is his fiancée," Provenza says, indicating Sharon.

"How is he doing doctor?" Sharon asks, pulling her cardigan tighter around her as Gavin and Andrea come over, silently greeting Provenza and Patrice.

"We have confirmed that he did suffer from a heart attack. They're taking him to the cath lab right now for an angioplasty. We're going to open up the blocked arteries," The doctor explains, "Once we finish that we'll evaluate. It doesn't seem that it was too serious as far as heart attacks go. Luckily you got him here quickly."

"When can I see him?" Sharon asks.

"A nurse will come get you when we move him into the CICU, it'll be about 45 minutes," The doctor says, "There's a little bit of paperwork we need you to fill out. If you don't mind."

"No of course not," Sharon shakes her head.

"Let me take you back to a quieter waiting room, and I'll get that clipboard for you."

"Thank you," Sharon nods. She looks at her friends and sighs as she runs her fingers through her hair, realizing now that it was tangled from her short time in bed, "Um, if you guys want you can head home. I'm going to call the kids…"

"We'll wait," The group echoes after looking at each other.

"Thank you," Sharon nods, a catch in her voice. The five of them make their way to the other waiting room, and Sharon thanks the nurse as she brings her a clipboard. She fills Andy's information out and sits it on the chair next to her before picking up her phone. She paces the room as she scrolls through her contacts and calls Nicole first. She assures the woman that Andy was going to be okay and she would let her know what was going on once she got to see him. Nicole promises to wake her brother and pass on the news, giving Sharon a chance to call the other kids.

She buries herself into the corner as she calls Emily, resting her forehead against the wall. Emily answers the call with a sleep filled voice, mumbling quietly. By the end of the call she was more alert, promising to call all of the guests and take care of everything with the wedding.

"Do you need me to come?"

"No, no…it's just a lot of waiting," Sharon says, "Just go back to bed."

"Andy's a strong guy mom," Emily reminds her mother, "He'll be okay."

"I know," Sharon murmurs.

"Call me, when you know more."

"I will."

"I love you," Emily says after a moment of silence.

"I love you too," Sharon replies before hanging up. She tucks the phone under her arm as she wraps her arms around herself, letting out a shuddering breath as she clutches her eyes closed. She stands like that until the door to the waiting room opens and a nurse calls her name. She swipes her fingers over her eyes and sighs as she steps over, "How is he doing?"

"He's doing just fine, they are bringing him out of the cath lab to the CICU right now if you want to follow me up. Unfortunately he can only see one person at a time…" The nurse trails off, looking at the group waiting.

"It's okay," Patrice pipes up, "Louie why don't you go upstairs with Sharon, see Andy for a minute and then the rest of us can head home for the night."

"Right," Provenza nods before following Sharon and the nurse upstairs. She walks them to Andy's room and opens the door for them, "Do you mind if we both step in, for just a moment?"

"Just for a moment," The nurse says after a moment of consideration. Provenza leads Sharon in and she lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding when she sees Andy asleep in his bed. She steps closer to his bed and sits down gently on the edge, reaching out to stroke his pale cheek. He cracks an eye open before closing it with a dopey smile when he sees her.

"Hey you."

"You know, if you didn't want to marry me all you had to do was say so," Sharon chokes out, trying to make light of the situation and not burst into tears.

"I definitely want to marry you…"

"Well you have a terrible way of showing it," Provenza reprimands his friend.

"Oh hush, old man," Andy waves him off before reaching up to cup Sharon's cheek, his eyes finally opening a fraction. She wraps her hand around his and squeezes, offering him a weak smile. Provenza puts his hand on Sharon's shoulder and squeezes.

"I'll let them know he's doing okay."

"Thank you," Sharon says, "And thank you for getting him here. I'll call you later once we talk to the doctor."

"Sure," Provenza nods before leaving the room. Sharon sighs as she looks back at Andy, taking in the IVs and wires.

"I'm sorry," Andy apologizes, "I thought it was nerves…I couldn't sleep. And then the pain…"

"It's okay," Sharon soothes, reaching out to brush his hair back from his face, stroking her fingers down his cheek, "You got here and they were able to treat you before anything got too serious…"

"But the wedding…the trip…"

"Can all be replaced. I can't replace you," Sharon says, leaning down to kiss his forehead before looking up as the doctor comes in.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Reynolds, I'm one of the cardiologists here at St. Vincent. I'm going to be working with you for right now and Doctor Liu should be here later in the morning to check you out," The doctor says as he introduces himself, "Now based on the tests that we ran when you were brought into the ER we can positively say you did have a heart attack. Fortunately it was on the lower end of the scale and your friend got you here quickly, so we were able to do an angioplasty."

"How many stents did you have to place?" Sharon asks.

"We placed two for right now, Doctor Liu will probably run some more tests later today to see if you need to have any more placed. I'd expect your stay to be a few days while we make sure that you're on the mend before we get you out of here."

"Thanks, doc," Andy sighs softly, leaning back into his pillows.

"I'll be back in a couple hours and we'll see if we can't get you out of the ICU and into a regular room."

"Thank you," Sharon murmurs, watching him leave before looking back at Andy.

"Well so much for our plans this afternoon," Andy jokes. Sharon smiles and shakes her head, leaning down to kiss him. She moves to the chair next to his bed and holds his hand in hers as she gets comfortable.

"You should get some rest," Sharon whispers as his eyes start to droop closed again, "I'll be here when you get up."

"I love you."

"I love you too," Sharon says, kissing his hand before sighing as he drifts off to sleep. By the late morning Andy had been moved to a regular room in the cardiac unit and the kids had all stopped by to see him. Ricky, Rusty, and Charlie had taken the task to go back to the house and get Andy some personal items and clean up the decorations from the wedding while Emily and Nicole were sitting with Sharon while Andy was taken for an echocardiogram to see if he would need any further procedures.

"I don't understand how this happened," Nicole says, "He'd been doing so well since the blood clot a few years ago…You even said he went to the cardiologist last week and she said he was doing well."

"He has been doing well," Sharon assures Nicole, "But we knew it wasn't going to make everything better, that there was still a chance that he could have problems. Me getting shot probably didn't help his stress levels either."

"What are they saying about his recovery?"

"It'll take time, he'll need to keep a closer eye on his diet, get in some more exercise…but he'll be okay," Sharon assures both of the girls.

"What about the wedding? I mean I called everyone and cancelled. The caterer really couldn't do anything for us, they'd already started prepping all the food…"

"What if they brought the food here?" Nicole jumps in, "I bet the unit would enjoy it and the staff…I mean it is a holiday weekend…and you've already paid for it."

"What if you guys just got married anyway?" Emily suggests, following Nicole's line of thinking a bit further, "Father Espinoza was making the trip to the house, I'm sure he'd be fine with coming here instead."

"Girls…"

"It would cheer Dad up," Nicole says, "He's really been looking forward to this and you already have everything in place…does it matter if it's here or at home?"

"I don't know…" Sharon wavers, her eyes flicking around the hospital room, "Let's see where we're at when Andy gets back from his test."

"Okay," Emily nods, dropping the subject. A few minutes later two orderlies wheel Andy back into the room and get him back into bed as his cardiologist brings up the rear.

"So?" Sharon asks as she gets up from her seat before walking over to the bed.

"After looking over the echo, I don't think we should need to put anymore stents in. The two that were placed last night opened up his worst blockages, the others are under 50%. So right now we're just going to keep an eye on you and I think we can get you out of here by Sunday afternoon. We can talk more about your after care tomorrow," Doctor Liu explains, "I'm going to leave you in the care of the staff doctors for a while, but they have my information if anything changes."

"Thank you, Doctor Liu," Sharon says with a thankful smile.

"Try to stay out of trouble for a few days, Lieutenant," The doctor reprimands before leaving them alone.

"No more stents, that's good," Andy smiles. Sharon nods in agreement, smiling back at him.

"It is," She replies, reaching out to stroke his cheek, "You seem like you're feeling better from earlier."

"I am," Andy smiles. Sharon leans down and presses a kiss to his head, before looking at the girls.

"Why don't you two go catch up with your brothers and see what they're up to. And maybe you could grab me some stuff from home as well?"

"Sure what do you need?" Emily asks.

"Just my toiletry bag would be nice, it's in the top drawer of my vanity," Sharon says, arching her eyebrow at Emily, "So I can freshen up."

"We can do that," Nicole smiles, a slightly confused look on her face.

"We'll call when we're on our way back," Emily nods, pulling Nicole out of the room.

"Thank you," Sharon smiles. Nicole looks at Emily once their out of the room and walking.

"What did I just miss?" Nicole asks as she follows the other brunette.

"Mom has the marriage license and their rings in the top drawer of her vanity," Emily explains, stopping at the nurse's station, "Text one of the guys and tell them what the plan is. We'll run home, grab the license, stuff for Mom to freshen up, and call the caterer and Father Espinoza. _After_ we convince the hospital to let us do this."

"Okay," Nicole nods, getting her phone out to text the guys. Emily talks to the head nurse for the floor, convincing her that they could have the priest come by and marry their parents and they would bring food in for the entire ward.

"Let's go," Emily says, dragging Nicole towards the elevator, "We have a wedding to plan."

By early afternoon the two had everything in place; diverting the caterer to bring the food to the hospital, having Father Espinoza come by at the previous time they'd agreed upon, and getting the team to come by for a little while. They'd even managed to get a couple nurses to take Andy out for a "test" so they could decorate the room a little bit and Sharon could clean up.

Andy's eyes widen when he gets wheeled back into the room, seeing all of the kids and the team waiting along with Father Espinoza. Sharon was standing next to his bed with a smile on her face, her lips spreading wider as she looks at him.

"What's all this?"

"You did promise to marry me today," Sharon says, "I'm still taking you up on that offer."

"I…you rearranged all of this?"

"The kids did," Sharon says as she steps closer to help him out of his wheel chair, "Do you think you have about ten minutes of standing in you?"

"For you, anything," Andy says as he takes her hand and pulls himself up, steadying for a moment before looking down, "Though I'm hardly dressed for it."

"It's okay," Sharon smiles as he threads their fingers together.

"Ready?" Father Espinoza asks with a smile. Both Sharon and Andy nod as they look at each other. The Father leads them through an abbreviated ceremony, guiding them through their vows before pronouncing them husband and wife, "You may kiss the bride."

"Lucky me," Andy smiles as Sharon captures his lips in a kiss, their arms wrapping around each other as everyone claps. She supports his weight as he gets a little woozy, pulling back from their kiss.

"As much as I would love to sweep you off your feet," Sharon says, helping him back to sit on the edge of his bed. She takes a seat next to him and smiles at him, pressing a kiss to his knuckles as they finish filling out their license and sign it.

"You're stuck with me now," Andy says as he hands the pen over to her.

"Good," Sharon smiles as she fills out her portion, signing her name at the bottom before handing it over.

"I better get to see you in that dress," Andy threatens.

"You will," Sharon says, "We'll do something later this summer. I promise to let you even take me on vacation."

"Good," Andy chuckles, reaching up to stroke Sharon's cheek, "I love you, Mrs. Flynn."

"I love you too…I love you very much, Mr. Flynn."

* * *

[TBC]


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes:** Here is a bit of an epilogue to the whole shebang!

* * *

Andy was released from the hospital a few days later with a hefty list of dietary changes to be made and a new exercise regimen. He knew he was going to be out of work for a while and on desk duty for even longer when he got back. Emily had finalized plans to go back to USC in the fall and start on a degree in Marketing, which was why by the end of June both Sharon and Andy had decided to retire.

Andy knew he would be lucky to ever get back out in the field and Sharon still wasn't feeling up to par even after her own injury. By the time July came and went they were both work free, understanding that they might still need to testify in cases for the next couple years. They put together a nice ceremony for pictures before embarking on a longer trip down to South America, spending a long week in Rio instead of the short weekend in Mexico they had originally planned.

They agreed that they would help Emily out with Charlie while she was in school, taking her breaks to travel. They were able to plan weekend get aways to the Bay Area to see Ricky and even further north to visit Gus and Rusty after they had moved to the Napa area. They would go hiking and go for drives, exploring the area they had lived in for so long but never had the time to get to know. They easily settled into retired life with the other there to lean on.

Emily continued her relationship with Ron, the two of them easily finding great companionship with each other. She insisted on not wanting to fully move in with him until she was done with school, continuing to stay with her mom and Andy. They celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and engagements (Ron had proposed shortly after Charlie's first birthday), and before they knew it Emily had graduated with honors and she and Charlie moved to a house she and Ron had purchased together only a few blocks away from Sharon and Andy's.

Yet the girls didn't stay gone too long. They'd only been out of the house a little over a week before they made their way back for a cookout they were having for Andy's birthday, walking over from the house with gifts and a dish for the barbecue. Charlie reaches up and wrenches the doorknob open, storming into the house and immediately calling out for her grandparents.

"Gamma! Papa!" The little girl yells as she wanders around the house looking for them. Her curly auburn hair was pulled back into pigtails and she was wearing a Dodgers shirt and jeans as she stomped through to the kitchen.

"Is that my Charlie bug I hear?" Andy says as he steps in from the back yard into the kitchen. Charlie squeals and runs over, laughing as Andy sweeps her up off the ground.

"Papa!"

"How's my little lady bug?"

"I miss you," Charlie says as she grabs Andy's face in her hands and presses a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"I've missed you too," Andy smiles and presses a kiss to her head.

"Happy birthday, Andy," Emily says as she leans up and presses a kiss to his cheek as well.

"Thank you, Em," Andy smiles, wrapping his arm around her in a hug. Ron offers a celebratory greeting as well before the four of them head out to the back yard. A few of the people from Major Crimes were already there as well as the rest of the kids. Once they're outside Andy sets Charlie down so she can go play with Nicole's boys before walking over to Sharon who was manning the grill.

"You know, I never would have thought watching you work a grill would be sexy."

"I'm full of surprises," Sharon grins, flipping over a few burgers, "Emily here?"

"Yeah, Char's playing with the boys," Andy says, pressing a kiss to her neck, "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss that little nugget being around all the time."

"Me too," Sharon smiles, "But she's just down the block, so it's not too bad."

"You're right about that," Andy grins, "And now we can do what we did this morning whenever we want."

"You are insatiable," Sharon says, slapping his hands away.

"Your fault," Andy says before pulling away to go mingle. Later in the evening after they cut the cake, Charlie brings over a wrapped gift to Andy, depositing it in his lap.

"Here Papa!"

"What's this?" Andy asks as he pulls Charlie into his lap and holds the box in both of his hands.

"A peasant for birfday!" The little girl exclaims.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"From Mama," Charlie clarifies as Andy starts to unwrap the gift.

"Oh well if it's from Mama then she definitely has to get me something," Andy says with a grin, winking at Emily. He finishes unwrapping the box before pulling the tape loose to open the flaps. He pulls out a bunch of blue tissue paper before pulling out two tiny Dodgers t-shirts. He shakes them out and notices the back of them, both of them labeled with "Harris" for the name and one labeled with a 2, the other with a 3, "What are these for?"

"Well they all have to match when you take them to a game," Emily shrugs with a smile, leaning into Ron's side.

"Look at my shirt, Papa," Charlie says, leaning forward to reveal the 1 on the back of her shirt.

"Are you…" Sharon asks as she looks at the three shirts before looking at her daughter.

"We got Charlie's and the first one a few weeks ago, but after my appointment earlier this week we found out we needed to get a third," Emily grins, looking up at Ron as their hands rest together over her belly.

"We probably should have coordinated," Nicole says to Emily as she grabs the gift bag sitting next to her and hands it to Andy. He sets the two shirts from Emily down and digs in the bag from Nicole, pulling out a similar shirt, though this one pink. Andy laughs as he holds it up with the other two, Sharon laughing as well as she rests her cheek against Andy's shoulder.

"Well looks like I have my exercise cut out for me for the next few years," Andy comments before looking at Sharon, "And we should probably not book any vacations in say…six to seven months."

"Surprise!" Both of the girls exclaim, making the rest of the guests laugh.

* * *

[The End]


End file.
